Barry Schwartz - Why We Work

We talked to acclaimed writer and thinker, Barry Schwartz, about his groundbreaking book, “Why We Work,” and his research dispelling a deeply ingrained myth: The reason we work is primarily to get a paycheck.

Barry Schwartz is an emeritus professor of psychology at Swarthmore College and a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley.  

 He has spent fifty years thinking and writing about the interaction between economics, psychology, and morality.  Schwartz has written several books that address aspects of this interaction, including The Battle for Human Nature, The Costs of Living, The Paradox of Choice, Practical Wisdom, and the book we are talking about on the podcast, Why We Work.  

Schwartz has appeared on dozens of radio shows, including NPR’s Morning Edition, and Talk of the Nation, and has been interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), the PBS News Hour, The Colbert Report, and CBS Sunday Morning. Schwartz has spoken four times at the TED conference, and his TED talks have been viewed by more than 25 million people.