INTRODUCTION:
Maximizing, the aspiration to pursue the best choice, shapes people's decisions and feelings. However, its influence on social interactions remains underexplored. Only a small body of research suggests that maximizers care about social comparison and undermine the interests of others. An important unanswered question is whether a single, fundamental psychological process underlies maximizers' social behaviors.


PURPOSE:
This research identifies a fundamental psychological process underlying maximizers' social interactions. We investigate whether and why maximizing promotes a zero-sum mindset, the generalized belief that one party's success comes at the expense of another. We hypothesize that maximizing induces the belief that the pursued resources are limited, which in turn promotes a zero-sum mindset.


METHOD:
Study 1 measured participants' maximizing tendencies and zero-sum mindset. Study 2 manipulated maximizing and assessed its effect on zero-sum mindset. Study 3 manipulated maximizing and measured perceived scarcity of the options pursued and the zero-sum mindset. Study 4 manipulated the extent to which the options maximizers pursued were scarce and measured the zero-sum mindset.


RESULTS:
First, maximizing positively correlates with a zero-sum mindset. Second, priming maximizing increases zero-sum mindset. Third, perceived scarcity mediates the relationship between maximizing and zero-sum mindset. Fourth, imposing the belief that the best option is abundant attenuates the effect of maximizing on the zero-sum mindset.


CONCLUSIONS:
Maximizing promotes the zero-sum mindset because it induces the belief that pursued resources are scarce.


CONTRIBUTION
Our findings contribute to the literature on maximizing by proposing a basic psychological process underlying maximizers' social behaviors, and to the literature on the zero-sum mindset by demonstrating a novel motivational antecedent. Practically, we provide a viable approach to help maximizers reduce their zero-sum mindset.