Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz, PhD

Barry Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, where he has been teaching for over 40 years. He received his B.A. from New York University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include decision making, the creation of values, the interaction of morality and self-interest, work satisfaction, the role of ideology in assessing psychological theories, and basic learning processes.

Professor Schwartz is the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, where he makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today’s western world actually undermines happiness. Together with Kenneth Sharpe, he is the author of Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing, which delves deeply into the question of what it means to practice wisdom in daily life. He is also the author of several leading textbooks on the psychology of learning and memory, as well as a penetrating look at contemporary life, The Battle for Human Nature: Science, Morality, and Modern Life. Schwartz is a frequent lecturer at conferences around the world, and has published numerous editorials in The New York Times applying his research in psychology to current events.

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