I found this article on MSN and decided to blog it here to get some input from my friends. My introduction may sound a bit like Carrie Bradshaw on the notorious Sex and the City ... but honestly, these were my thoughts after reading the article which follows:

Have men and women turned to a dating buffet? Has the technicological era given us soooo many choices regarding everything in life, that we often forget to even leave our homes? If you're single and you always have the idea that someone better is out there, are you really giving the person you're with, not to mention yourself, the chance at a real relationship? And if you're in a relationship, does the poo poo platter of sexual options that exists online, on billboards, on television and just on a nice looking behind as you're walking down the street, make you think, hmm? Maybe I should try that on? Has our society become a sexual smorgasbord to the point that it's made us relationship intolerant?

Too many dating options?

By Karen Salmansohn Are you always looking around for something better: a better job, a better apartment… a better relationship?

For example, let's say you've finally found a pretty great love catch. Do you still find yourself tempted to keep going back to that large online dating ocean, in hopes of finding an even bigger, better, more 100% perfect catch?

If so, your search for the better might be making your life worse.

And that's not just my opinion—that's the opinion of Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., psychology professor at Swarthmore College, and author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. After extensive research, Schwartz has concluded that excess proliferation of choice makes people more anxious and less happy—even clinically depressed at times. Schwartz defines people who tend to check out all the options as "maximizers" and believes they tend to question whether they've made the right choice, then later regret their choices.

Unfortunately, in today's online world, it's very easy to become a "love maximizer" with the tempting smorgasbord of dating choices constantly available. With so much choice, it's easy to fall into the temptation of seeking an "upgrade"—even when your sweetie is a total sweetie! Or you can wind up with "choice paralysis" and not be able to get into a relationship at all.

How does this happen? Schwartz cites a study with shoppers. Group #1 was offered free samples of six different jams. Group #2 was offered free samples of 24 jams. Afterwards, Group #1 was more likely to buy a jam than Group #2. This result doesn't seem logical. You'd guess that people would be more likely to find a jam when given a range four times as large. But the overabundance of choice seemed to freeze shoppers' decision-making skills.

Unfortunately, this same "brain freeze" effect can happen to daters when shopping for partners in that endless online parade of possibilities. "It's a satisfaction treadmill," says Schwartz. "The more options we have available, the more we think that another option out there is perfect."

The truth according to me? Rarely is anyone or anything perfect. And so the #1 biggest problem with choice is... well, it's really an illusion. Up-close and personal, all of that choice is not always grade-A material.

Here's another study I came across during the past few months and found intriguing. The research found that people exposed to a few minutes' worth of advertising, with its endless parade of nubile women and improbably handsome men, were likely to experience far greater discontent with their partner after viewing. Translation: Love is blindsided by too much choice. A good relationship can be totally destroyed by the blazing promise of better options… that don't really exist in the first place!

So what's the cure for this situation that makes us throw over budding relationships because we believe the grass is always greener?

1. Recognize that being a "love maximizer" actually minimizes your chances of finding a healthy, happy relationship.

2. Realize that you, luckily, have a choice in how you view choice! Next time you're tempted to two-time, think twice! Remind yourself that those many, many people who look so good from faraway look very different when viewed close up—when you can more clearly see their many, many flaws.

3. Accept that no one person is ever going to have every single thing you need. The goal is to find the person who has the most important things you need. Make a list of your top three dating deal-breakers and your top three partner must-haves. If your current special someone passes this six-pack test, as I call it, you've got the basis of a very happy relationship—one not worth messing up with "maximizing" ways.

4. Once a week, spend a night luxuriating in your partner's three fantastic must-haves—and let it be known how much you appreciate him or her. Soon you'll turn yourself into a love energizer, instead of a love maximizer! And that's a terrific place to be.

Karen Salmansohn is a best selling author and turnaround coach who specializes in books which boost happiness, like How To Be Happy, Dammit! Visit her at www.notsalmon.com.