Loving Netflix Too Much
I'm among the legions who have learned that adding movies to one's Netflix queue is more addictive than adding items to an Amazon wish list. The New York Observer story "The Netflix Neurosis" explains how New Yorkers have become competitive even over having the right movies in their queues. Here's one of the more disturbing descriptions:

The problem is especially acute with people who feel the need to make the best decision all the time -- the people Mr. Schwartz has dubbed "Maximizers." Extreme Maximizers are correlated with clinical depression, according to Mr.Schwartz. "Assume you're the kind of person that needs to get the best," he said. "So what does that mean? It means you have to examine all the possibilities, otherwise how do you know it was the best? The alternative is someone who is satisfied with 'just good enough.' You don't have to examine all the options; you only find the one that meets your standards and then you stop looking. But if you need to have the best, the search has to be exhaustive. But it can't be exhaustive in the world we live in. At some point, you stop and pull the trigger, and there's this doubt in your mind: 'If I'd looked a little longer or looked a little different, I'd have done better.'"

For the record, I haven't had more than 130 movies in my queue at any one time. Yet.
- posted by Amy @ 4/24/2004 12:30:00 PM