The way we think about work is broken | Barry Schwartz 

When slavery existed, slave owners were required to provide their slaves with "adequate" means of living, such as shelter, food and medical needs. They were strategicly deprived of such things as education and freedom. The only difference today is that the "adequate" means of living has turned into a paycheck in the form of minimal wage. The lower class is still strategicly deprived of education and freedom. As long as they work full time, they only make enough money for shelter, food and medical needs.

I had my last shift in my mundane job today. I am going to walk up a hill tomorrow. I have no further plans.

This guy made so much sense. If I or most people were given the opportunity to work with all our basic needs met (food, shelter, clothing, bills) that we didn't have to worry about, we'd work for recognition and with passion and not think of it as a burden or be forced to work for someone we don't want to

"Man wasn't made for work but to create", Agostinho da Silva

"Very shape of the institution within which people work creates people who are fitted to the demands of that institution." Amazing.

To quote Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "“To speak of certain government and establishment institutions as “the system” is to speak correctly, since these organizations are founded upon the same structural conceptual relationships as a motorcycle. They are sustained by structural relationships even when they have lost all other meaning and purpose. People arrive at a factory and perform a totally meaningless task from eight to five without question because the structure demands that it be that way. There’s no villain, no “mean guy” who wants them to live meaningless lives, it’s just that the structure, the system demands it and no one is willing to take on the formidable task of changing the structure just because it is meaningless. But to tear down a factory or to revolt against a government or to avoid repair of a motorcycle because it is a system is to attack effects rather than causes; and as long as the attack is upon effects only, no change is possible.”

Great talk, and hits the nail on the head....most people have no connection with their company anymore because it's all about getting paid. Being part of a company is like being part of a ships crew...you're all in the same boat, and have to work together to keep it sailing. That's the only way to ensure you keep getting paid. If you aren't willing to pull your weight and put in some effort, then you're a fool for joining a company for the wrong reasons. If you only focus on ths money, you're setting yourself up for depression. That said, the other important point of this talk is how we create a system full of mundane jobs that have no real satisfaction. So do we hand it over to machines completely? Or perhaps we should set up a system wherein all employees start at the bottom and have equal opportunity to move up...neither work. What we really need to do is stop babying our children for so long. Teach them the reality of the world and the importance of pushing yourself to the next goal...whatever that goal may be. To teach them a craft and how to take pride in it. Instead, we willingly dumb our kids down and lie to them. They drift through public schools, with the majority having no clue whats really happening or where they are headed....then one day..."welcome to the world! Now, get a job". We can't make the world a better place for ourselves, but we can help our kids to see it in a different light so that they may succeed where we did not.

I watched 3 ted talks of him and my worldview and ideas of how things should work has basically turned 180 degrees. this mans ideas and his way of conveying them are incredible. Thanks for uploading! awesome talk, profoundly important insight

What is it with this guy that everytime he gives a lecture leave people wanted for more I. Mean hes so good in making us aware things being before our nose without us truly noticing I think hes truly gifted

I'd like to email this link to my entire hierarchy. I work in a warehouse that services mostly convenience stores. The rate of rotation is so unreal.... I've seen more faces come and go than anywhere else I have ever worked. And the biggest complaint is "nobody wants to work". IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW. No wonder! The work is challenging, but only in a frustratingly, crippling, degenerative sort of way. I stamp cartons of cigarettes. The work is easy compared to some other work, but it is monotonous and the fact that almost nobody seems to understand how my machine works is devastatingly absurd. Even the senior technician and the stamp service can't figure out these issues... it's like nobody has the time to give even the slightest care... until someone else is breathing down their neck.

This speech deserves more views. This is short, meaningful and right on point!

" The secret to happiness is low expectations" B.Schwartz Inspirational! #Feel free Sisyphus

Adam Smith was one of the first to recognize that the division of labour increased the production but was alienating, he was not the short sighted moron portrayed in here. In fact whenever you disagree with Smith on any topic, chances are you are probably the one who is wrong. Ted talks are usually shallow answers for deep problems but this one is by far the most idealistic thing I have seen here and I mean it in the original sense of the word idealism.

Having a mundane job was the most mentally invigorating, refreshing, essential part of my life! (Retired now, but going back to work for therapeutic and human connectivity value..-being part of the human milieu..). Work can be very-very therapeutic. It's in the way many mundane activities have of distracting our focus, allowing us to refocus, etc.. Work has a built-in health-giving psychological process.. Sometimes, the more mundane, monotonous the work activity, the greater the mentally restorative effect! This is a phenomenon known to some religious/spiritual movements or practices.. So there's positive healthy distraction/focus, and then there's the more common Western hyper-materialistic distractions that can potentially undermine. Some work/jobs can, of course, be more therapeutic than others.. Depends on the person (personality type may be relevant to the work/job). So my opinion is that there's a valid argument for also rethinking how we work our way into our senior years, -with maybe a different spin on conventional "end of working for a living" retirement. To me, it's mind-boggling that there's very little in print on the health imparting aspects of doing work.. I think when we begin to have a better, more thorough (more holistic) understanding of work, we'll begin to get our collective work-ethic back, as a society. In fact i have a theory about the mentally harmful effects of not having work, "work deprivation".. Little thought-tidbit brought to you by a rank-and-file INFP. Thanks for reading! Now then, everybody back to work! Busy, busy, busy! Vitamin "W"!!

책을 보고 강연을 찾아보게 되었습니다. 동기부여에 대한 주제로 책을 찾아서 읽어보다가 교수님의 사회전반적인 시스템에 대한 문제로까지 확장되는 사고의 즐거움을 하게되었습니다.

I've always hated this system of working the monotonous jobs over and over and over, the only way to get out of it is to be successful at something you are passionate about or be a homeless hippie.

it's always frustrating when people pose problems but don't provide any sort of solution. what a cop-out.

Speaking as a Scot, Adam Smith was not an Industrialist, nor was he responsible for starting the Industrial Revolution. Adam Smith was an Economist and a Moral Philosopher. It was the better part of a century before his ideas (expressed in the Wealth of Nations) were adopted in his country of birth (Britain), Richard Arkwright mechanized textiles in the 1750s and effectively kicked the whole thing off. Wealth of Nations, not wealth of nation! Smiths book was largely about trade, and the motivation for civic duty, expressed through economic activity. ''It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.'' - Adam Smith

Perhaps this is one of the underlying reasons why today, increasingly more people would choose or be inspired to create a business on their own. I think what Barry is arguing, if I am correct, in this short, less-than-10-minute talk is that, as one of the effects of a capitalistic society ever since the rise of the Industrial Revolution, we have become trapped in the cycle of thinking that work is merely an errand we have to do 5 days a week to survive. Leave alone work-life balance for many of us or satisfaction and wellbeing, sadly, a lot of us do not find joy in what we do. Hope this video and talk by Barry can be a start in the way of not only how work should mean for us, and how, in the future, jobs can be designed in such a way that we may also, hopefully, find some fulfillment in.

The sad fact of the matter is that we can't all be doctors, lawyers, engineers, inventors, or artists. There simply has to be a majority of menial laborers - at least with the current system, where we can't just wish goods and services into existence. This talk is very lofty and nice, but it wasn't some evil invention that made society what it is. It's simply capitalism. If anything is ever to change, it'll be on the backs of robots doing our work for us, so that we're free to do what we please.

bruuuutal!! cuanta razón! espectacular punto de vista!!

We work to pay our expenses like an accommodation, food, clothes, education, transport and other desires like hobbies, trips, etc. But this doesn’t mean we live just to work. What is the point of working lots of hours and earning lots of money if later you are stressed and tired and don’t have free time to spend it and enjoy it? It’s totally non sense! We have to balance work with enjoying life! How? Working not too many hours a week that allows us to have enough spare time to relax, socialise and enjoy our hobbies, and very important, working of something that really gratifies you and makes you feel rewarded. Mental health and free time to enjoy life, over making lots of money and having no social life.

Great talk, one of the best for a while

brilliant, explain in simple way.

this is brilliant!!

Exactly. I'm 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟

one of the most enlighting talks

Brilliant!

6:50 exactly this is what (many?) people seem to not understand. By saying a certain race or minority is more criminal or problematic than other actually makes people from that race or minority act like it (subconciously). If you think you'll fail, the chance you fail is bigger than when you think you'll succeed. Luckily there is a solution. It's simply becoming more aware of yourself, your innerworld, your responses to everything. Some say 95% of our behavior is subconcious, I do really believe that is the case for most people. People like to think they're in control, but think about it: from what point on did you REALLY start choosing? It was not when your parents decided to have you. It was not when (and where) you were born. It was not who your family was. It was not the neighborhood you grew up in or the school (if you even went to one). The culture you grew up in? Things you find important (faith, political stance, money). Look at your surroundings, do they represent your life style because you choose to life like that? Or did it shape you? When did you start choosing?

Barry Schwartz previous ted talks were great too, encourage all to view all of Barry Schwartz ted talks if you like this one

It’s much more simple. We work because we all have needs that need to be met. There are so many of us that we now have to spend large parts of our day meeting the needs of other people, and we do get rewarded for it. With what? An object that we’ve all agreed has value to meet our own individual desires and needs. It gives us more choices. The work has to happen regardless if we want to survive.

Ahh the question that I need answered for a while!!

So watching this talk and reading some of the comments, I couldn't stop myself from responding here. Some would call it religious but think of it from a philosophical perspective. If I tell you that providing the basics (food, shelter, bills) is my responsibility, you would do better/greater things in where you see purpose. Not something that you're just mindlessly doing. Right? I think all monotheistic religions (or other one's too maybe, not sure) give the idea that your sustenance is God's responsibility. And you have to do great work on earth for fellow humans. Now If we just start believing that for once. And act with faith that there will be sustenance. We can still do great things. The issue with this is that in order to do it, we have to have that strong a faith. Which is hard. So we want to manage those things ourselves. And most of us end up just managing those very things and never growing up towards greatness.

I work in a call centre.. i feel this.

It looks like I'm as stupid as I can become then...

It’s amazing that we all/ or hopefully most of us understand it, but in a century there’s no way to change or to survive(period) if you are the minority, when we can define everything to be ‘’correct’’

I think it is interesting that many people can't wait to retire, so that they can for example build acoustic guitars or become expert carpenters or master furniture restorers. They dream of finally being able to buy a countryside bed-and-breakfast, or run a small café or a European kitchen in a part of town they love. None of these passions are expressed in their life work with me up to this point. There is only this time we called "later." And in 20 years we not regret anything we did, but only what we did not.

I think I would love to buy this book now.

We all, if not a majority of the population are too busy trying to live a lifestyle or we are stuck in one. "There is no reality only perception" - Dr. Phil (TV host)

I worked to support myself, travel, get an education, and help non beggars. I love my computer jobs, and ignored the evil co workers. Living well was my best revenge. My parents did not have inside trading to make them billionaires, or accept payoffs from lobbyists, and foreign countries. You do live paycheck to paycheck, when housing and utilities takes 70% of our income. I worked overtime, extra jobs etc. My penion was the first time I had savings, and I was lied to about health insurance, so God is my doctor.

I wrote an essay about the philosophy of work in "Downton Abbey and Philosophy." Worth reading. Cheers.

We already have words for a such thing. Religion = Idea Technology = Way of thinking = World View When your company's (Group) or your's Computer (World view) can't longer effectively support latest software (Cannot help to solve problems), that requires certain requirements (Facts) to be filled. In that case you or your company just needs to get a new computer which solves all problems. Sadly most of the people do not want to throw a old pc away, because their very own and only meatbag (Body and mind) were used to the older one. Moving into a unknown is almost never easy. That's why only few dare to go there alone and even less want to share their way. Some have facts to back them up, some just have faith and some are just feeling lucky. Which one Would you trust? We need to learn to trust into new computers. Your first selection of computers do not please you? You can try a new ones till your money or 14 day return policy last (European thing) or you can just use your old computer and deal with the problem a other way. (I have a no idea who this Barry is) Fix my Grammar please.

Humanism in Karl Marx's mind is a belief that each individual can dominate his or her own life according to the principle of spontaneity and voluntariness in the context of social reality, an authentic form of labor, i.e., the acquisition of self-knowledge in the process of interacting with nature and its material resources. In short, you engage in production for survival, know yourself in the process, and gain meaning for your existence, while loving the activity from the bottom of your heart. Most of Marx's early writings take this as a starting point to critique the alienated labor of man under the conditions of capitalist society. In the Philosophical Manuscripts of Economics, Marx wrote that the basic economic fact of capitalist production is alienated labor, i.e., the industrial worker produces in his or her labor something that is not his or her own, and receives a reward that cannot be equated with what he or she produces. At the same time, industrial production deprives labor of its autonomy and innovation. Labor is just a series of separated monotonous repetitive actions that do not lead to pleasure or cognition.

if only we start thinking in terms of energy, work would make more sense, but we have always thought in terms of money.

Finally a good video.

Wow. Heavy.

I was think about it days ago....

+k3nny111 I agree with your approach. It makes no sense to redesign a social system without first carefully figuring out in detail how the new design is going to function.

the human idea more important than tecnology. and people should useful own idea for work. people should not forget human nature.

"How is it that we allow the majority of the people on the planet to do work that is monotonous, meaningless, and soul-deadening?" Because someone has to do that work.

Must be nice to live in your world.

Well the good news is that most of these brainless jobs will be eliminated by guys like me (engineer/mba) pretty soon as we develop AI and robotics to do these jobs. There's really no reason to have any employees in McDonalds, or Walmart, or grocery stores, and it's not going to be long before they're gone. The real problem then is what to do with the majority of American's who will have no prospects for income? We'd better implement a basic income soon, because simply watching people starve to death as corporations grow profits by eliminating jobs is so fundamentally unfair that it will certainly bring an end to our democracy. This will soon become the biggest threat our country has ever faced and the fact that so few people are talking about it is pretty scary.

Some good points made by the speaker and some good points made by people commenting below. I would like him to explain why it is possible to own the land but not possible to own the sea or the air. Now here´s my point, which is not subjective nor an opinion, it is a fact: POVERTY is not part of nature like the clouds, rivers and trees and daylight. Nature or the universe did not give us p o v e r t y - it is an entirely human invention, mankind´s most significant contribution to the world.

FINALLY!!!

Facts

Damm that guy was good!

How about this for an idea... the main point he is making isn't the particular work per se, but the meaning behind the work. How can we give more meaning to the work we do? For one, we can stop working for money and work for something more meaningful. How can this be done you ask? Allow people to be part owners in the business. Rather than working for a pay check, you are now working to make the company better and ultimately you make more money. Rather than a bunch of hourly employees a company would have a bunch of owners each owning a small share of the business. How will the average laborer buy into the business? They work for their share of the company. For example, for 5% of the company they work x amount of hours. This would give the average worker a lot more incentive to do a better job and it would give the job more meaning. Obviously, there would have to be clauses written to protect against people quitting or not pulling their own wait. To finish, the entrepreneur would start a company and get the most equity and the workers (laborers) would all share in the rest of the equity. Thoughts?

well, at the end of day some one has got to do those kind of "boring" jobs, right? It has sth to do with your family, your education, your effort in learning knowledge and yourself in the pass, after all. Of course, it's never too late to improve to transform.

How is this not already widely understood? Do people not talk about this? I'm sure almost anyone who considers work and engagement must have some idea about this.

It doesn't have to be that way & it wasn't that way everywhere. In Havana, Cuba as well as certain southern US towns, cigar factories had lectors read newspapers & other material to the workers.

Humans aren't lazy, they're depressed and overworked

True, but the very nature of mass production leads to drudgery one way or another. The original Luddites weren't so much protesting new technology as forced regimentation. They were told to work in factories vs. keeping their former self-sufficient lives and skills they'd developed.

Plumber should have a TED talk.

Sometimes human brain actually works.. like in this video.

Or the more logical answer: Because many tasks are soulcrushing by default! currently many jobs can be automated but even more can't be automated for many differend reasons. And many jobs which require humans are repetitive, which causes the job to be soul crushing.

Translation: Don't be a garbageman, because being a garbageman is beneath your dignity - you're better than that. Leave those jobs for the people whose existence is meaningless anyways.

so now what do i do?

Schwartz misses the point. He had the answer why people work right there in the beginning: "We have to make a living" (0:39). That's all there is to it. THAT's what's obvious; all the other points he mentions don't describe work. Work is an action performed to sustain one's existence. We work to get paid and we use that pay to sustain ourselves. Every action that goes beyond sustaining oneself is not work. People with capital (a.k.a. the means to sustain people) exploit the needs of people without capital, which is why people work tedious jobs. If they wouldn't, they would die, either directly through hunger or indirectly because of the lack of shelter etc. To suggest that people work because of false ideas about work is ironically a false idea about work itself and needs to be abolished because it obscures the real reasons why people can be exploited and thus supports the exploiters.

Oh it's broken is it ? Who dropped it ? Maybe the class of billionaires and politicians who have an interest in keeping it this way. It's designed this way

WOW

Wow

Make your dreams come true or you'll spend your life making someone else's dreams come true.

Everybody should be given enough money to be get on, then we would do fulfilling work. I met a guy. He worked in a factory and in his free time he went to the church choir and then he was offered to join a good Budapest theater choir.

Did he say anything? I'm a factory worker and thus must be a complete moron but I could have sworn he said absolutely nothing.

as someone who used to bus tables, i look at people in janitorial positions, and i think, "that shouldnt exist. that position shouldnt exist. we should all clean up after ourselves. why is someone else cleaning up after me?"

❤❤❤❤

So the point of the video is that humans work for satisfaction, not for just money?

One can learn about life from a mundane job.. and then it will no longer be mundane but worth more than a University education. I learned from my hedge trimming business all the nuances of life.. one in particular.. When one sprig stands up above all the rest.. I (life) have to cut it down..

Why does the human species work for currency? Does any other species on this planet have any type of monetary in their culture?

Because the Ego (the guardian of individuality) itself possesses the electric momentum of Activity-Creativity and the emotional magnetic impulses of "Bonding-Rejection," whatever is born of the "Ego-drive" by its thoughts, feelings and actions, is charged with physical electromagnetic life which will produce replica life forms and will be eventually materialized within the life of the Ego-creator. These created forms not only manifest eventually as experiences but also disturb the functioning of the physical processes of their creator and are the origin of physical discomforts or viruses or diseases. ​ Therefore, is it a great cause for rejoicing when the soul emerges from its encapsulating human consciousness of the Ego (the guardian of individuality), for the ascending spiritual consciousness will create the harmonious life-giving conditions it holds in consciousness. Conversely, it is a cause for sorrow while the human consciousness is submerged in Ego control, producing upsets, trials and tribulations both in life experiences and the physical condition itself. Therefore, I tell you: if you do not like the world, you have it within your power to change the "conditions of existence," right where you are - if you have the faith and consistent will to do so. I repeat in another form to gain your attention: If you continue in your present level of human functioning and thought, you will only experience your present level of human existence. You will be bound down to working hard for a paltry living, beset by numerous problems, such as poverty, ill-health, addictions, immobilized by prostrating fear and exposed to ill-intentioned attacks of all kinds. You will be burdened by present conditions until you understand how to change them. This is the golden opportunity to take control of your lives as never before, by getting control of your thoughts and emotions - the electrical and magnetic impulses - the blueprints of your future experiences. For - you are like potters possessing clay and daily shaping pots and utensils for your use. CONSCIOUSNESS is the clay - the substance with which you make your life - and every condition pertaining to it. You, alone, shape your life into the forms you experience. By your thoughts, you can change your personal future - if you will but accept the Christ Letters, A Course In Miracles and A Course Of Love. You can affect your environment, your homes, families, work, the people you associate with, and even plants, animals and climate. Whatever you hold steadfastly in mind externalizes.

Well who is supposed to do the meaningless and soulless work? And if those jobs are eliminated/automated what will those who did those jobs do for income?

Then they trap people who have kids and responsibilities. I see a bunch of commenters (young kids) saying they're quitting their job. Not going to lie, I'm jealous, I wish I had the means to just up and leave my job but the problem is anything I qualify for is on the line between work and indentures servitude.

5:23 "It is NOT true that "You just can't get good help anymore." It IS true that you can't get good help anymore when you give people work to do that is demeaning and soulless."

I'm having flash backs to George Carlin's comments on the human species.

Muito bom🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 show

Great thoughts but what can we do? What can I do? Nothing

You need look no further than our welfare system to see that Adam Smith was absolutely correct on that point. I've enjoyed Barry's previous talks, but honestly I have no idea what he was going for with this one. Work needs to get done, that vast majority of people won't do it unless they have a substantial incentive to do it... I like the work that I do, but if the mortgage would get paid either way I would probably opt to sleep in every day. What about the poor schmucks that hate their jobs? Sure, we should try to make work humane, but there are always going to be dirty, thankless jobs.

I enjoyed when Barry used to call Clay Douglas

우성쌤 이거 시험 내주셔서 감사합니당 ❤️❤️

You know.. if I didn't get almost a quarter of my paycheck taken away before I even see the darn thing. I'd be working less and doing the things I enjoy. But since there is no state-hotline I can call to opt in and out of certain services.. I'm screwed. I live in one of these states with a glorious income tax, because federal income just wasn't enough. Yay! #Sarcasm

So what can we conclude out of this? (don't get the conclusion he tries to get across)

I have to write an essay on this. It's a shame he is literally rambling

I was expecting a more scientific explanation for the title of this video but it's nothing but an 8 minute rant.

@01:47 -- I cannot help but wonder if some of the ancient Holy scriptures were warning of what you describe here... (loose translation/expression), "selling our souls to the devil".

May the Schwartz be with you!

same analogy on GENDER-it is a social construct, its fluid. Thank you sir

TONGUE TECHNOLOGY

Well these bad ideas are not limited to the machine. Academy is also very stupid. The popular people are those, who have gotten appreciated for their great ideas. Maybe they are feared and believed to outsource "truth". And so the general mass becomes euphoric. But many have forgotten, that The Joker in Batman is the true hero(in its own context). So.. what to do with naive people like myself? Recognize, that you need more than a good idea to recognize or be recognized or to shape reality. The perception of a good idea may vary, but oppression and soul-lessness are omnipresent. Even when you have the idea of an idea of an idea, you are in danger of becoming a dictator.. This presents an idea of an idea according to my logic.

pls, subtitle in spanish!

I hate Goin to work every day myself lol but I go anyways l...