Why Intelligent People Often Struggle to Make Decisions

KOMPAS.com - Intelligent individuals with strong analytical skills often find it difficult to make choices.

Research titled “Maximizing versus satisficing: happiness is a matter of choice” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2002) shows that people who constantly pursue perfection often feel less satisfied and have lower self-esteem.

Psychologist Mark Travers, in his article on Psychology Today, summarised on Sunday, May 17, 2026, explained that the ambition to find the most perfect option secretly erodes mental well-being.

He further revealed three psychological reasons why intelligent people often become confused when making decisions.

The study found that people who constantly seek the best choice are more likely to regret their decisions. According to Travers, it is logical to compare each alternative, but this takes a lot of energy.

“On the other hand, people who can quickly be satisfied with the first option that meets their criteria are actually more at peace with their decision, even though they spend much less time thinking,” he added.

A 2023 study titled “Vulnerable maximizers: The role of decision difficulty” proves that excessive comparison of alternatives triggers information overload and makes choices seem very risky.

Because of this factor, decisions that should be resolved in minutes can take hours or even days. This is because their brains begin to treat each choice as a major gamble.

“Trivial decisions such as what to eat for lunch or what colour to paint the room can feel like life-altering choices. In the end, this process only drains mental and emotional energy,” said Travers.

“They are very sensitive to new input. As soon as there is information that suggests that another option may be more promising, they immediately conclude that the step taken was definitely wrong,” said Travers.