Summary of The Way We Think About Work Is Broken

According to psychologist Barry Schwartz, the theories social scientists develop to understand human behavior shape how people live and work. When employers believe the theory that humans are inherently lazy – the brainchild of economist Adam Smith – they incentivize workers with paychecks rather than creating jobs that provide fulfillment. The theory becomes self-perpetuating as factory workers toil only for money. getAbstract enjoys the debate that lies at the intersection of psychology and economics and believes Schwartz’s talk will appeal to practitioners in either field.