A Benefit for Maximizers: How Task Involvement Eases Maximizers’ Suffering from Choice Overload

Information is critical for decision-making, yet too much information often causes choice overload. Maximizers, individuals who strive to pursue “the best option” in decision-making, are particularly susceptible to choice overload, showing decreased choice satisfaction when choosing from larger assortments. However, limited research has explored how to alleviate this phenomenon. Filling this gap, this research explores when and why large assortments might enhance rather than diminish maximizers’ choice satisfaction. Building on the two-component model of maximization, we propose that task involvement can reverse the typical choice overload pattern among maximizers. Across four experiments in consumption contexts, we reveal a task involvement reversal effect: maximizers (both naturally and experimentally primed) reported greater satisfaction with large (vs. small) assortments when task involvement is high, whereas they experienced choice overload under low task involvement. We further demonstrate that this reversal is mediated by perceived information adequacy and is significantly more pronounced for maximizers than for satisficers or control groups. This research uncovers a significant benefit for maximizers. Theoretically, it challenges the prevailing view of maximziers’ choice experience, and advances our understanding of choice overload. Practically, it provides a clear strategy for retailers to improve consumer experience.