In one of my favorite TED Talks, Barry Schwartz talks about this among other things. In it he tells a story about a study in Switzerland where a community was

In one of my favorite TED Talks, Barry Schwartz talks about this among other things. In it he tells a story about a study in Switzerland where a community was asked whether or not they would agree to a nuclear waste facility in their area. Amazingly 50% agreed, they then repeated the procedure but offered 6 weeks salary as well. This time only 25% agreed. He claims that as soon as the incentive is introduced people throw out their perceived responsibilities and instead focus on what is best for them. So instead of asking themselves whether or not they should, they ask themselves "is this a good deal for me".