Sometimes a world without limits is too much to handle

About a year after Britain started its National Lottery in 1994, sharp-eyed sociologists began looking into what had happened to the winners. Had sudden wealth revolutionized people’s lives, freeing them to pursue lives of wild originality? Fascinatingly, the answer seemed to be: no. Most of the nouveau riche remained in their original houses, kept on at their jobs, kept up with their friends, and, if they were married, stayed that way. The template of life that lottery winners followed before they got rich quickly seems to be the one they keep.

It may be that life was already satisfactory, but there is another possible explanation: Complete freedom to do what you want is surely rather scary.