---
title: "2 Counterfactual Quotes By Barry Schwartz"
description: "2 Counterfactual quotes by Barry Schwartz. Plus more from Barry Schwartz and more Counterfactual sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg"
---

> [“Most people can suppress counterfactual thoughts before they spin too far down a spiral, those who suffer from clinical depression may not be able to. When a student who didn't study much does badly on an exam, he could take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual-thoughts-before-they-spin-too/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg)

> [“The fact that counterfactual thinking seems to hone in on the controllable aspects of a situation only increases the chances that a person will experience regret when engaging in counterfactual thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-seems-to-hone-in-on-the/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/barry-schwartz-19557_regret_the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-se_2007836.jpg)

## More by Barry Schwartz

> [When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-you-rely-on-incentives-you-undermine-virtues-then-when-you/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“Emotions properly trained and modulated, Aristotle told his readers, are essential to being practically wise: We can experience fear, confidence, desire, anger, pity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/emotions-properly-trained-and-modulated-aristotle-told-his-readers/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“When asked about what they regret most in the last six months, people tend to identify actions that didn’t meet expectations. But when asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-asked-about-what-they-regret-most-in-the-last-six-months-people/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“If society asks more of us, and arranges its social institutions appropriately, it will get more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/if-society-asks-more-of-us-and-arranges-its-social-institutions/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [Years of research in psychology has shown that rewards and punishments can be very effective in changing behavior. But, at the same time, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/years-of-research-in-psychology-has-shown-that-rewards-and/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“Being able to criticize our own certainties is often a painful struggle, demanding some courage as we try to stand back and impartially judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/being-able-to-criticize-our-own-certainties-is-often-a-painful/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“According to standard economic assumptions, the only opportunity costs that should figure into a decision are the ones associated with the next-best alternative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/according-to-standard-economic-assumptions-the-only-opportunity-costs/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“We give disproportionate weight to whether yogurt is said to be five percent fat or 95 percent fat free. People seem to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/we-give-disproportionate-weight-to-whether-yogurt-is-said-to-be-five/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [Too little attention is paid to the dark side of incentives. They are anything but a magic bullet. Psychologists have known this for years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/too-little-attention-is-paid-to-the-dark-side-of-incentives-they-are/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“Focus on what makes you happy, and do what gives meaning to your life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/focus-on-what-makes-you-happy-and-do-what-gives-meaning-to-your-life/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [How much does it really matter whether your child will soon be enjoying a first year at Harvard or Yale or will instead end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/how-much-does-it-really-matter-whether-your-child-will-soon-be/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [What I look for in any book is an argument, based on evidence, that changes the way I think about something important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/what-i-look-for-in-any-book-is-an-argument-based-on-evidence-that/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“Happiness as a goal is a recipe for disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/happiness-as-a-goal-is-a-recipe-for-disaster/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [I start with an idea that is no more than a paragraph long, and expand it slowly into an outline. But I'm always surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/i-start-with-an-idea-that-is-no-more-than-a-paragraph-long-and-expand/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [“to be satisfied with our work, we typically need a belief in the purpose of what we do. Amy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/to-be-satisfied-with-our-work-we-typically-need-a-belief-in-the/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Counterfactual Quotes By Barry Schwartz",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Most people can suppress counterfactual thoughts before they spin too far down a spiral, those who suffer from clinical depression may not be able to. When a student who didn't study much does badly on an exam, he could take responsibility for not having studied more. But the exam could have been easier, or more focused on the material the student knew.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Barry Schwartz"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual-thoughts-before-they-spin-too/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Most people can suppress counterfactual thoughts before they spin too far down a spiral, those who suffer…” — Barry Schwartz",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“The fact that counterfactual thinking seems to hone in on the controllable aspects of a situation only increases the chances that a person will experience regret when engaging in counterfactual thinking.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Barry Schwartz"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-seems-to-hone-in-on-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/barry-schwartz-19557_regret_the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-se_2007836.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/barry-schwartz-19557_regret_the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-se_2007836.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/barry-schwartz-19557_regret_the-fact-that-counterfactual-thinking-se_2007836.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The fact that counterfactual thinking seems to hone in on the controllable aspects of a situation only…” — Barry Schwartz",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/",
            "name": "Counterfactual Quotes by Barry Schwartz",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/barry-schwartz-19557_clinical-depression_most-people-can-suppress-counterfactual_1481352.jpg"
            },
            "description": "2 Counterfactual quotes by Barry Schwartz. Plus more from Barry Schwartz and more Counterfactual sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Counterfactual",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Barry Schwartz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfactual/barry-schwartz/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```