title: The negative consequences of maximizing in friendship selection.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that the maximizing orientation, reflecting a motivation to select the best option among a given set of choices, is associated with various negative psychological outcomes. In the present studies, we examined whether these relationships extend to friendship selection and how the number of options for friends moderated these effects. Across 5 studies, maximizing in selecting friends was negatively related to life satisfaction, positive affect, and self-esteem, and was positively related to negative affect and regret. In Study 1, a maximizing in selecting friends scale was created, and regret mediated the relationships between maximizing and well-being. In a naturalistic setting in Studies 2a and 2b, the tendency to maximize among those who participated in the fraternity and sorority recruitment process was negatively related to satisfaction with their selection, and positively related to regret and negative affect. In Study 3, daily levels of maximizing were negatively related to daily well-being, and these relationships were mediated by daily regret. In Study 4, we extended the findings to samples from the U.S. and Japan. When participants who tended to maximize were faced with many choices, operationalized as the daily number of friends met (Study 3) and relational mobility (Study 4), the opportunities to regret a decision increased and further diminished well-being. These findings imply that, paradoxically, attempts to maximize when selecting potential friends is detrimental to one's well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: David B
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1296-5817
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schug
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4589-5616
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, Hokkaido University.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Nezlek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult