3 Reasons Smart People Are More Indecisive Than Others

The very traits that make you an intellectual are the same traits that make you overthink your every decision.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | May 1, 2026

In a world overflowing with options, from careers and investments to streaming choices and dating apps, making decisions should theoretically be easier than ever. More information and more choices ought to help us pick better outcomes. Yet psychology suggests the opposite often proves to be true, especially for smart people, with their highly analytical disposition.

A landmark study by Barry Schwartz and colleagues found that people who strive to make the best possible choice, known as maximizers, often experience greater decisional paralysis, regret and lower life satisfaction compared to those who settle for an option that is simply “good enough,” known as satisficers.

The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that maximizers tend to be less satisfied with their decisions and report lower levels of happiness, optimism and self-esteem. In other words, the pursuit of the perfect choice can quietly undermine well-being.

Here are three psychology-backed reasons why highly intelligent or analytical people often struggle the most when it comes to making decisions.

1. Smart People Fall Into The ‘Maximizer Trap’

Smart people tend to set high standards for themselves. While this trait can drive success, it also increases the likelihood of becoming a maximizer, someone who feels compelled to find the absolute best option before committing.

The 2002 study by Schwartz and colleagues introduced the concept of maximizing versus satisficing. The researchers found that individuals who constantly search for the optimal choice tend to experience more regret, perfectionism and dissatisfaction with their outcomes.

The logic seems straightforward: if you are determined to find the best option, you must compare every possible alternative. But this pursuit often creates an exhausting cycle.

Instead of choosing efficiently, maximizers continue searching for better possibilities, even after they have found a good one. This prolonged evaluation increases cognitive load and delays commitment.

Psychologists call this tendency “analysis paralysis.” Ironically, maximizers may sometimes make objectively strong choices, yet still feel unhappy with them. Because they know there were many alternatives, they keep wondering if something better existed.

By contrast, satisficers, people who choose the first option that meets their criteria, often feel more content with their decisions despite spending less time analyzing them.

2. Smart People Overanalyze Every Possible Outcome

Intelligent individuals tend to think in complex scenarios. They consider multiple variables, long-term consequences and hidden trade-offs. While this ability can be beneficial in strategic contexts, it can also make everyday decisions unnecessarily difficult.

A 2023 study shows that maximizers engage in extensive comparison across alternatives, which increases decision difficulty and psychological strain. This constant comparison triggers several mental processes that slow decision-making:

• Information overload. Evaluating too many options can overwhelm cognitive resources.
• Hypothetical thinking. Imagining every possible outcome can prolong deliberation.
• Trade-off sensitivity. Noticing subtle differences makes choices feel riskier.

Because of these factors, decisions that should take minutes can stretch into hours, or even days. More importantly, the brain begins to treat every choice as high stakes. Even minor decisions — what to have for lunch, what laptop to buy, what color to paint a room — can feel like life-defining moves when analyzed through this lens. The result is a decision process that becomes cognitively exhausting and emotionally draining.

3. Smart People Experience More Post-Decision Regret

For many highly analytical people, the struggle doesn’t end after the decision is made. In fact, the real discomfort often begins after the choice. The same 2002 study found that maximizers are significantly more prone to regret and upward social comparison than satisficers. Once a decision is made, maximizers often continue to monitor alternatives.

They ask themselves questions like:

• “Did I miss a better option?”
• “What if another choice had worked out better?”
• “Did I make the optimal decision?”

Maximizers are especially sensitive to feedback about their choices. When new information suggests an alternative might have been better, they tend to interpret it as evidence that they made a mistake. This creates a cycle of self-doubt and second-guessing. Rather than feeling relief after deciding, maximizers remain mentally attached to the road not taken.

In contrast, satisficers are more likely to commit psychologically to their decisions and move forward without revisiting every alternative. This difference helps explain why people who settle for “good enough” often report higher satisfaction in the long run.

The Hidden Cost Smart People Pay For Seeking The ‘Perfect’ Choice

Modern life encourages maximizing behavior. We are constantly told to optimize our careers, relationships, finances and lifestyles. Technology has also made it easier than ever to compare options endlessly, whether scrolling through reviews, rankings or social media.

But psychology suggests that more choice does not always lead to better decisions. Instead, it can increase pressure, uncertainty and dissatisfaction.

Maximizers are often intelligent, ambitious and conscientious individuals. Yet their desire to find the optimal solution can trap them in a cycle of overthinking and regret. Maximizers experience higher cognitive load because they are hyper-aware of opportunity costs or the theoretical benefits lost by not choosing the alternatives. This leads to decreased post-choice satisfaction.

In a decision-making matrix, the benefit of additional information decreases as the search time increases. Eventually, the “cost” of the search (in time and mental energy) outweighs the “benefit” of any incremental improvement in the outcome. The paradox is clear: the smarter and more thorough someone becomes in evaluating choices, the harder those choices can feel.

In the real world, “perfect” is often the enemy of “done.” If you try to optimize every single decision, you’ll end up with decision fatigue, a state where your brain is too tired to make even simple choices effectively. Here are three rules you can follow if you identify as a maximizer:

• The “satisficing” rule. Instead of looking for the best possible option, look for the first option that meets your pre-set requirements. Once you find it, stop looking.
• The 70% rule. If you’re 70% sure of a decision, make it. The time you save by not chasing that extra 30% of certainty is more valuable than the marginal gain of a “perfect” choice.
• Post-decision lockdown. Once the choice is made, stop researching. Delete the tabs, stop looking at the better options and put your energy into making your current choice work.

You don’t win by finding the best option; you win by getting your time back. In other words, sometimes the most effective strategy is not to chase perfection, but to recognize when a choice is good enough.

Does taking decisions feel like hard or smart work to you? Take my science-inspired Cognitive Style Test to know the thinking style influencing your decision.

About the Author

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker. He is a regular contributor for Forbes, CNBC, and Psychology Today. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team.