American · b. 1946
Barry Schwartz is an American psychologist who taught at Swarthmore College for more than four decades, where he held the Dorwin Cartwright Chair in Social Theory and Social Action. He trained in behavioral psychology and began by studying how reward and reinforcement shape behavior. Later he turned to questions of well-being, work and decision-making. His best-known book, The Paradox of Choice (2004), argues that an abundance of options can lead to anxiety, regret and dissatisfaction. It grew into a widely viewed TED talk and became a common reference in business, design and policy discussions. He also wrote Why We Work, The Costs of Living, and Practical Wisdom, co-authored with Kenneth Sharpe, which argues that institutions need people with good judgment rather than more rules and incentives. His work reaches a general audience while staying tied to academic research on motivation and choice.