Some people always want the very best choice. Psychologists call them "maximizers." Other people stop when they find something good enough. Researchers in the United States followed university students during their job search. Maximizers got jobs with starting salaries about 20 percent higher.

But they were less happy with the jobs they chose. They also felt more worried and stressed. Looking for the best can make it harder to feel satisfied.

When choosing a school or a job, many of us want the best option. Psychologist Schwartz and his colleagues described two styles of choosing. "Maximizers" compare every option to find the very best, while "satisficers" choose the first option that meets their own standards. In 2006, Iyengar and her colleagues followed about 550 graduating students during their job search. Students with strong maximizing tendencies found jobs that paid about 20 percent more.

However, they were less satisfied with the jobs they accepted and felt more anxiety, stress and depression during the search. The researchers found that maximizers relied more on other people's opinions and kept thinking about the options they did not choose.

Conventional wisdom holds that searching harder leads to better decisions. Psychologist Schwartz and his colleagues challenged this by distinguishing maximizers, who seek the best possible option, from satisficers, who settle on an option that meets their criteria. In earlier work, stronger maximizing tendencies were linked to lower happiness and optimism and to greater regret.

A longitudinal study by Iyengar and colleagues then followed about 550 graduating students across eleven universities through their job search. Those with strong maximizing tendencies secured starting salaries roughly 20 percent higher than students with weak maximizing tendencies. Paradoxically, they were less satisfied with the jobs they accepted and experienced more pessimism, stress and anxiety along the way. The researchers linked this dissatisfaction to a reliance on external sources, such as rankings and friends' offers, and to dwelling on unattainable alternatives.

However, the study was not randomized, and the concept itself has been criticized. Maximization scales mix high standards with indecision and extensive searching, and more than ten different measures exist. Schwartz himself later proposed a clearer model. Having high goals may be harmless; repeatedly looking back at paths not taken may be the real problem.