"Satisfying" is not settling

Funny Memories, well, some are

Sy Syms, discount clothing, right up my financial alley (when borrowing money for college). I had to look at EVERY suit in my size before I could pick 1. I just couldn't stand the idea that a better choice or better bargain was there and I didn't find it.

Studying Commercial Interior Design at Pratt, it became difficult for a while, to go to restaurants (that I could afford), because I was surrounded by a travesty of design decisions made by (who the hell could make that decision?). OMG, I finally had to decide, 'Let It Go' or I'll never enjoy myself.

Professional work, i.e. for a client's New Headquarters' Building, say 10 floors in a NYC office building, EVERY decision had to be the BEST, IOW, after I put together a line of recommended chairs, Executive, Conference, Manager, Worker Bee, just like suits at Sy Syms, there was no way in hell I was going to select/present/get approval/order, and find a better choice the next day. You get very good, but progressively, the more you know, the harder it gets, it can be exhausting.

I always thought an easy job would be working in a Sports Equipment store: selling fun things, their choice, to happy healthy people. go home, nothing to think about.

So, my personal life, I purposely decided I would avoid seeking perfection, find 'Good Enough' and be happy. I do my research, make a choice, done (sort of).

Agree with the main view of the OP.

FYI, there’s an old TED talk that’s good on the psychology of this issue: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice

"In Schwartz’s estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied."

Having acquired a bunch of different kinds of gear, here’s how I view the situation for myself:

There is a "sensible quest for better" that is not equal to the "maximizer quest for best." As one improves in a hobby, a better instrument makes possible greater appreciation. No one who gets into cycling should be on an old, heavy 10-speed. The question becomes when to stop upgrading. Here, the "satisficing" metric is helpful. It’s good to be able to say "enough" and then enjoy the fruits borne by the tool.

There is another reason for continuing to buy gear that is *not* indicative of being a "maximizer." Rather, it is about being what we might call "a true audiophile" -- a lover of *sound.* Consider: a guitarist may have multiple guitars, an audiophile may have multiple amps -- because they like different sounds. This is not a vertical chase for "the best," but a horizontal exploration of sonic territory. To the novice, they seem like "maximizers" because they have more than enough gear to produce music. To the hobbyist, they have a range of options to achieve different sonic results. The food lover goes to different kinds of restaurants (Italian, Chinese, Thai, etc.), the wine lover drinks a range of wine, etc. 

Interesting, but really kind of absurd. Articles like these I think are more valuable in that the offer insight into the insecurities of the author as well as a few members of society. One thing is for certain, after reading this article the numbers that suffer from this malady will increase. Kind of like 24 hour news in that space needs to be filled and articles need to be published.

I guess the bottom line is that the problem is with the individual and not society. Audio nervosa really isnt a real thing in my opinion. And these type of exercises inevitably end up with some sort of message related to economic and social awareness. If you want something and can afford it buy it with no further thought required. 

Always casting about for the next better thing is as baked into us as apple pie from hundreds of thousand of years back. It’s how the naked apes have made it this far. We can try to deny it and stifle it, but that would be equally neurotic. Do as the Buddha would do - collect stuff that embrightens you even if it sometimes gets on your nerves. Then give it away as you begin to die. If it has died already before you have, then your work is mercifully accomplished in the here and now.

So it is written

The movie "Moscow on the Hudson", Robin Williams faints when he walks into the coffee aisle at a grocery store.

For me, "good enough" is...

Happy listening.