Is the quest for the best making us miserable? Some people will settle for nothing but the best. But when we have so much to choose from, there is a price to be paid for pickiness.
Rankings are ruining our lives says writer
Is the quest for the best making us miserable? Some people will settle for nothing but the best. But when we have so much to choose from, there is a price to be paid for pickiness.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">What's happening? </h2>
It is your birthday and you are going out for a meal. It is up to you to choose the restaurant. How do you choose? Do you just pick the first place that pops into your head? Or do you make a long list and work out which is your favourite.
If you picked the second option, you are not alone. It is thought that around 10% of the population are "maximisers", who make their choices by rankingOrdering from best to worst. all of the possible options.
But now writer Rachel Connolly says that ranking everything might make you unhappy.
Humans have always loved ranking things. More than 2,000 years ago, some humans put a rank on nature, with mammalsWarm blooded animals where the female gives birth to live young. at the top and plants at the bottom.
The problem, Rachel Connolly says, is that the search for the very best might make you less happy with what you have. It means we are never sure we have really chosen the best option. We cannot just enjoy what we are doing.
In the past, when we did not have many choices available to us, this was not such a problem. But today, there are so many choices to make - from restaurants to subjects at school. The fear that we are not making the "best" choice can be too much to handle.
She thinks it is better to be a "satisficer": someone who will happily settle for anything good.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Find out more</h2>
Yes! Thinking too much about whether you have made the best choice or not will clearly make you feel unhappy. It is better to focus on what you do have.
No! Many people enjoy making lists and ranking them. It is all part of the fun. And it helps them make better choices, which makes them happier.
Ranking - Ordering from best to worst.
Mammals - Warm blooded animals where the female gives birth to live young.
Quest - Adventure, challenge or search for something.
Miserable - Sad.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Is the <strong class="glossary-tip">quest<span class="tt" data-beeline-skip="true">Adventure, challenge or search for something. </span></strong> for the best making us <strong class="glossary-tip">miserable<span class="tt" data-beeline-skip="true">Sad.</span></strong>?</h5>
Rankings are ruining our lives says writer

Glossary
Ranking - Ordering from best to worst.
Mammals - Warm blooded animals where the female gives birth to live young.
Quest - Adventure, challenge or search for something.
Miserable - Sad.