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Whether it’s buying your daily coffee, a piece of furniture for your home or a Diet Coke, there is an overwhelming choice surrounding the decisions you make. American psychologist Barry Schwartz looks at the notion of ‘choice’ and why in this day and age, where individuals are offered more freedom and choice than ever before, there is a near epidemic of depression. His book The Costs of Living delves into the impact of the Western world’s free-market thinking and the consequent explosion of consumerism. His book also breaks down the effect of capitalism on social and cultural institutions that once operated outside of the market, such as medicine, sports and the law. These areas are now highly vulnerable to market expansion and depletion. Barry’s philosophies, which are emphasised in his books, seriously criticise the consumerist culture of the West and how this has a subliminal effect on the psyche of everyone caught in its path, which Barry describes as an evidently destructive one. From buying a pair of jeans to choosing a health-insurance plan, Barry describes how our brains are bombarded with choice, which doesn’t free us, but instead restricts us. He makes you question – is less really more?