Author(s)

Hao Ding, Aimei Li

School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

Compared with satisficers, maximizers intend to pursue optimal results, leading to more negative emotions and worse experience. Even when they do get a better result, they are still less satisfied. We call it “maximization paradox”. Theoretically, the purpose of this study is to enrich and deepen research in fields of the maximization paradox and its psychological origin. What’s more, we intend to provide feasible advice for corporations and the government on the basis of our findings. By reviewing existing literatures, we find that the psychological origin of this paradox includes three aspects: the uncertainty of their optimal standards, their behavioral strategies to search and compare excessively, and more cognitive biases such as expectation biases and focusing biases. These conclusions help us to better understand the maximizing tendency and make relevant suggestions for decision-makers.

Maximization Paradox, Decision Objective, Behavior Strategy, Cognitive Bias

Ding, H. and Li, A. (2018) A Study on Maximization Paradox and Its Psychological Origin. Psychology, 9, 785-796. doi: 10.4236/psych.2018.94050.