The article doesn't set the standard based on any kind of cogent argument. It assumes the ideal is what people say it is based on instinct, and the result is not 100% extreme, but it is pretty extreme. This is even more true if you consider the other questions I raised. The researcher compares this to living on a kibbutz, although the article then assumes this is a good thing.

There are many other examples of people's instincts being off by surprising amounts, including in ways that do not affect them positively.

That's what I intended to address. Don't really see the need to get personal and extrapolate hypocritically.