Barry Schwartz Ted Talk conclusion was that people need choice, but not too much choice or too little choice. He uses the fishbowl example where the bowl limits our choices but not so much that we feel restricted. Yet if you break the bowl open it will open the person to so much choice that they would freeze. They will be unable to make a choice. In the article Trying to Live on 500k in This Town, I see that the argument is that restricting the income of those who are used to making a certain amount can be very difficult for those affected to adjust. They give a great premise by breaking down what someone might be paying for. Such as mortgage, private school, and other expenditures. I believe that money doesn’t guarantee happiness. It only makes it a little easier to get to it. Mr.Schwartz states that “the secret to happiness is low expectations.” I see this with my argument that by having money you can do whatever you want when you want. You become more compliant. You don’t get that excitement of saving and working hard for something, then finally acquiring it. Then another side of it is that you will spend money on things to show off. The New York Times article at the end, writes “So if you are in a culture where spending a lot of money is a sign of success, it’s like the same thing that goes back to high school peer pressure. It’s about fitting in.”. You don’t spend it out of necessity or for yourself, but to appease others and try to be one of them. Which can just cause you to become something you’re not.
