In America, people are faced with more and more decisions every day, whether it's picking one of thirty-one ice cream flavors, or deciding whether and when to get married.
That sounds like a great thing, but as a recent study has shown, too many choices can make us confused, unhappy, even paralyzed with indecision.
'That's particularly true when it comes to the work place', says Barry Schwartz, an author of six books about human behavior.
Students are graduating with a variety of skills and interests, but often find themselves overwhelmed when it comes to choosing an ultimate career goal.
In a study, Schwartz observed decision-making among college students during their senior year.
Based on answers to questions regarding their job hunting strategies and career decisions, he divided the students into two groups: maximizers, who consider every possible option, and satisficers, who look until they find an option that is good enough.
You might expect that the student who had undertaken the most exhausted search would be the most satisfied with their final decision, but it turns out that's not true.
Schwartz found that while maximizers ended up with better-paying jobs than satisficers on average, they weren't as happy with their decision.
The reason why these people feel less satisfied is that a world of possibilities may also be a world of missed opportunities.
When you look at every possible option, you tend to focus more on what was given up than what was gained.
After surveying every option, a person is more acutely aware of the opportunities they had to turn down to pursue just one career.