When I took my current position, I had only one offer. I was moving cities and my response rate was lower than I'd like (some jobs explicitly requested locals), plus I had a shorter window in which to jump ships.
Needless to say, I wasn't negotiating from a position of strength. A nice bump, for sure, but I could have done much better. I regret having to move so quickly.
But now that I have a strong name on my resume, companies are lining up to interview me and this time around I can pit their offers against one another.
Sure, having to pick companies might be slightly stressful, but knowing you got the best deal is an amazing feeling.
I benefit from a lot of privilege and circumstance, but any company making me an offer probably knows that not having another offer right now doesn't weaken my hand, at any moment i'm only a few days away from another offer if I really want it.
So yeah, I suffer from anxiety-related issues, I'm going to choose the route of less stress.
Not a Devo fan, are you?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan's_ass
> With multiple offers you are guaranteed to be able to get higher pay, more time off, and/or better working conditions.
Actually, you aren't. You are, however, free to pick one of many offers, and one of them may suit you better than the others. Perhaps you can negotiate better offers, but this doesn't mean that a potential employer may be willing to present a better counter-offer.
You're somehow assuming that salary is the only relevant parameter in choosing a job, or even that all jobs are equivalent in career growth and creating more job opportunities. Some jobs are dead-ends and career killers, even if they pay more. This sort of stuff needs to be considered.