Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough
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- Create Date：2023-10-24 16:21:31
- Update Date：2025-09-14
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- Author：Michael Easter
- ISBN：B0BRBVCQB9
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Reviews
Rob
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A kind-of sequel to the Comfort Crisis （Easter didn't start off with that in mind， but has said that's where he ended up）， Scarcity Brain continues along the theme of: what about us humans is ill suited to the modern world， and what can we do about it？Everyone knows any behavior is fine in moderation。 But why do we suck so bad at moderating？ Why do we keep eating when we’re full？ Why do we keep shopping when we own too much？ Why do we keep drinking when we’re already tipsy？ Why do we scroll soci A kind-of sequel to the Comfort Crisis （Easter didn't start off with that in mind， but has said that's where he ended up）， Scarcity Brain continues along the theme of: what about us humans is ill suited to the modern world， and what can we do about it？Everyone knows any behavior is fine in moderation。 But why do we suck so bad at moderating？ Why do we keep eating when we’re full？ Why do we keep shopping when we own too much？ Why do we keep drinking when we’re already tipsy？ Why do we scroll social media when it makes us miserable？ Why do we binge-watch another episode even when we realize a more meaningful life beyond the screen is passing us by？ Why do we get stuck？ Stuck doing the same thing we regret over and over and over。 The book starts off introducing The Scarcity Loop by going deep into drug addiction psychology with an amazing trip to Iraq where Easter， a recovering alcoholic， is trying to understand the explosion of addiction in Iraq， then jumping to Las Vegas slot machine research and psychology。 The premise is that this loop is hard-wired into us for good evolutionary reasons -- and in fact it's observable in pretty much any animal， from rats to pigeons to monkeys -- but， like many things innate to our biology， has been hijacked by modern systems。 Often intentionally （gambling， social media， drugs， etc。）。The loop is: Opportunity—> Unpredictable Rewards—> Quick Repeatability。 To break it， break any of those steps。To really get out of it requires lifestyle change。Unfortunately， we can’t fix all these modern problems with some newfangled diet or workout routine， meditation commitment， media detox， or weekend of Marie Kondo–ing。 Our brains， remember， are designed to constantly scan for and prioritize “scarcity cues。” In fact， when we as humans have strong relationships， meaningful work， physical fitness， etc。， we tend not to fall into e。g。 social media scrolling， gambling， drugs， etc。 The same seems to be true for all animals。He wondered what would happen if he presented pigeons with the two games after they’d spent time living like a pigeon in its wild habitat。 “After that， the birds actually start choosing optimally，” said Zentall。 They choose game one。 The non-gambling game。 Zentall told me， “There’s a model called the optimal stimulation model。 It says that animals and we humans have a level of stimulation that we prefer。 And when it gets below that， we search for stimulation。 We found that if pigeons have had alternative forms of stimulation that were more like their life in the wild， it seems to reduce the likelihood that they will choose the gambling game for a substantial amount of time。” The pigeons could， in a way， realize that they had enough。 They were fulfilled by what they had， craved less， and didn’t want to escape into the scarcity loop。。。。In these studies， the rats can hit a lever for a dose of cocaine。 And they love it。 These rats press and re-press the lever。 They’ll become so obsessed with getting high that they forget to eat and they die。 But what doesn’t get talked about is what happens when you give these lab rats a safer and more comfortable， ratlike environment。 The kind they’d have in the wild。 A big park that has holes to hide， nests， wood chips， exercise wheels， plants， other rats， and more。 They stop pressing the lever。 Just as Zentall’s pigeons stop gambling after living a wild pigeon life。。。。“When our needs aren’t met，” said Zentall， “we gamble， we shop online， we eat just to eat， we overuse social media， or even do drugs。” At the extreme end of scarcity brain， said Zentall， lies addiction。 He’s seen addictive behaviors in his degenerate pigeons that live in sterile cages， unstimulated。。。。And it can happen with anything that a person believes makes their life worth living and solves their problems in the short term。 Escaping into video games， intense exercise competitions like Ironman triathlons， working to climb the corporate ladder， following or playing sports， eating， anything。 And it’s not a bright line so much as a spectrum。 There's an outstanding discussion on addiction。 Easter -- once again a recovering alcoholic himself -- is a great person to have done this research。 The question is: is addiction hard-wired， or something that becomes hard-wired from drugs， or somethings else？ Do we have agency even in the face of addiction？ The book comes down hard on: yes， there may be chemical changes， but people have agency， and there are a million examples of people choosing to stop addictive behaviors。Dr。 Sally Satel is an addiction psychiatrist and professor at Yale University。 She told me she can see how the idea that addiction is a brain disease is helpful in getting addicts professional help rather than time in jail。 “If I’m speaking to a judge， sheriff， or insurance adjuster， then I say， ‘Yes， addiction is a disease，’ ” she said。 But none of the addicts she worked with seemed to be hopeless passengers of a hijacked brain。 “Yes， addiction changes the brain，” Satel told me。 “But so does everything else。 This conversation we’re having right now is changing our brains。 The crucial question is not whether brain changes take place。 They do。 “The real question，” said Satel， “is whether those brain changes obliterate the capacity to make decisions。 The answer to that question is no。 Choice might be constrained。 But people are capable of breaking through the neurochemical storm and changing their behavior。 It’s possible to change。 Everything is possible。”。。。“The brain disease model，” Satel wrote in a study in Frontiers in Psychiatry， “obscures the dimension of choice in addiction， the capacity to respond to incentives， and also the essential fact people use drugs for reasons。”。。。Addiction is not a choice。 Instead， it’s a summation of repeated choices that make a different choice harder to make for environmental， biological， and historical reasons。 It’s deep learning。 Much like gaining weight。 Few people set out to become obese。 But over time， the weight accumulates， and we find ourselves obese。 It happens through small decisions we make daily。 Decisions about what， why， and how much to eat multiple times a day that become habitual。 And this same pattern applies to spending too much time online， binge shopping， working too much， gambling too often， obsessing over exercise or another hobby at the expense of family time—any habit that provides short-term escape and comfort but causes long-term problems。 “The problem isn’t the substance or behavior of choice，” Szalavitz told me。 “The problem is why you need that drug， why those drugs appeal to you， and why you are trying to get out？ What are you trying to escape？ What do you need in your life to feel comfortable and safe and productive？”。。。Just as a person can learn addiction， they can also learn better coping methods。 To get a person to choose to stop an addiction， the underlying reason they are using has to be addressed somehow。“There’s a zillion ways a person can recover，” said Szalavitz。 “But they tend to all be getting a new passion and a new sense of meaning and purpose and community and connection。 One person might fall in love with exercise。 Another might get really into rock climbing。 Another person might hate both of those things and need to see a specialist for an issue like childhood trauma they were managing with drugs。 But it’s all about figuring out how to find your way in life again and deal with whatever led a person to become addicted in the first place。”Still。。。this section isn't strictly derived from The Scarcity Loop。 There's some discussion in there。 For example: if the high you get is variable （Unpredictable Rewards）， as it is with most street drugs， then the addiction tends to be significantly stickier。 BUT。。。unpredictableness doesn't seem to be *essential* to addiction。 I'll speak a little more on this later。 There are several subjects where Easter's writing on the subject itself is exceptional， but where the tie back to his central organizing idea isn't super strong。One final note on addiction itself:Research suggests that many people start “learning” addiction in their teens。 From the time we hit puberty until we’re about twenty-five， our brain undergoes a massive renovation。 During this time， we’re learning how we cope with problems and find comfort。 Consider: If we wait until we’re twenty-one to drink， our odds of developing an alcohol addiction are 9 percent。 But if we start drinking at fourteen or younger， the odds of addiction become 50 percent。 A coin flip。 These same figures hold for most drugs and maladaptive behaviors。 There is another outstanding discussion on Gamifying everything。 In the last 10+ years the tech community has gamified every darn thing。 And it's not great。“But when we try to gamify ordinary life，” said Nguyen， “we’re trying to impose clear values on a preexisting thicket of values， on a system that is very uncertain and complex。” We abide by silly rules in the name of arbitrary points for parts of life that aren’t silly and arbitrary。 Nguyen continued: “So instead of figuring out why you care about something， how you care about it， and articulating for yourself what it is about that system that’s important to you， gamification just tells you， ‘Here’s how and why you care about it。’ ” And we fall in line。 “So gamification can increase motivation， yes， but at the cost of changing our goals in problematic ways。” And the repercussions ripple into actual life。 I experienced a personal， "oh， games are not good" back when the Fitbit became popular。 I got the counter， and found myself spending more of my workout time simply adding steps vs。， for example， biking or lifting weights。 At some point， the game was driving behaviors that were not optimal for me， so I stopped。 Ever since I've noticed that the scoreboard for pretty much everything is distortive in a way that does not help me （nor anyone I know using them） achieve goals。There's a chapter on Food that goes into the Tsimane tribe， a hunter-gatherer tribe that has the lowest levels of heart disease of any population on earth。 Their secret？ They eat pretty much everything opportunistically， but what they eat is single-ingredient （no additives）， minimally processed。The chapter touches on the scarcity loop and food。So what accounts for the rise in obesity and its heart-stopping side effects？ By the 1970s， our scarcity brain—which for millions of years tuned itself to a world of less food and less interesting food—was living in a world of abundance。 Food engineered to lead us to eat more faster was everywhere and readily available to most Americans。 And we ate it more often。 Quick repeatability was key for the food industry。 Take snacking。 The food R&D executive Carlos Barroso said， “There are three Vs in the snacking world: value， variety， and velocity。” The scarcity loop。 “Beginning in the 1970s， you see really profound changes in snacking，” said Guyenet， the nutrition researcher。 “There was this huge marketing push to create an entirely new food category in the American diet， snacking。 It was successful。 And if you look at the types of things people snack on， it’s ultra-processed foods。” But。。。to me， the scarcity loop isn't the primary thing that is a problem for reasonably fit / healthy people， who I presume make up much of Easter's audience。One thing I like about Easter is that he's so pragmatic and moderate。 He's not calling the food companies or casinos or anyone evil。 He pushes hard for the role of personal accountability。Food corporations created and marketed hyperstimulating food。 But， like gambling and drug use， blaming the industry entirely is just a way to off-load personal responsibility （that’s one thing scarcity brain wants less of）。 For example， it’s common to vilify， say， McDonald’s or Lay’s for spending millions of dollars researching and testing fries and chips that offer the perfect combination of sugar， salt， fat， and texture so we reach， as the food psychophysicist Howard Moskowitz put it， the “bliss point。” But do we really want to live in a world where we don’t have foods that offer the bliss point？ “I don’t have any gripes with the food industry making delicious food。 That’s their job，” said Roussell。 “But then it’s our choice to then say， ‘I choose to not eat that food every day and just enjoy it occasionally。’ ” Also:All our food choices have also made us persnickety at the table。 Laudan said， “One of the problems of abundance is that everyone can design their own diet。 In the past， if you didn’t eat what everyone else in the family ate， then you just didn’t eat。 Nobody was going to make something special for you。 This also led to a kind of family control on portion size in the diet， because there used to be enough food but not enough for everybody to have as much as they wanted，” she said。 “But today many children grow up believing they can pick whatever they want within reason。 People aren’t tasked to accommodate their tastes to anyone else anymore。 There’s an incredible individualization of our diets。 This has ruined the sociality of eating to a very large extent。” Amen。And in the chapter about Stuff:Many of us feel guilty about our purchases。 We believe our immensity of stuff is killing the environment。 Like， each Amazon Prime purchase or $6 T-shirt we buy from some fast-fashion house is a vote to kill the polar bears。 But I spoke with Andrew McAfee， who lifted some guilt—albeit with two caveats。 McAfee is the co-director of MIT’s Tech for Good Research Group。 He explained that until the 1970s it appeared the earth was headed to environmental ruin。 He told me， “Pollution was going up。 We had wiped out species， and ecosystems were under threat。 Resource use was going up exponentially year after year in lockstep with overall economic growth。” But sometime around the first Earth Day， resource consumption began to decline， even as our population grew。 This trend continues and accelerates every year。 We get more people。 Our economy gets stronger。 But we use fewer resources。。。。“Rather，” McAfee told me， “there’s been a one-two punch of competitive capitalism and a very good and evolving technological tool kit that began to allow us to do more with less。 And this is for the very simple reason that molecules and resources cost money and companies like to save money。 So when opportunities via technology come along for them to do more with less， to get their goods or services out there while spending less money on materials， they’ll take that deal all day long。” For example， in 1960， a single can of beer used more aluminum than an entire six-pack of beer does today。。。。In the United States， levels of six air pollutants including carbon monoxide and lead have declined by 77 percent since 1970。 Meanwhile， our GDP and population grew by 285 percent and 60 percent， respectively。 We’ve reduced our total carbon dioxide by 13 percent since 2007。 That’s thanks to simple economics and smart government environmental regulations。。。。We’re now consuming fewer resources， using less land， polluting less， and even bringing back species we’d nearly pushed to extinction。 All as our population grows and living standards rise。 There's a chapter on Information that is SUPER interesting。 Our relationship to desiring more information may be related to our innate wanderlust as a species。 A built-in desire to explore。 2nd to last chapter in the book。 The book literally gets better until the very end。Day realized that to gather eyes and make more money off ads， it’s best to run stories that leverage the unpredictability feature of the scarcity loop。 Recall that our attention gravitates toward unpredictable information that may result in great reward or pain and suffering。 For example， watching slot machine reels line up indicating a possible jackpot or hearing about a serial killer on the loose。 Day leveraged the latter。 He ran negative stories: tales of mayhem， murder， deceit， theft， outrage， gore， scandal， and so forth。 Within a year， he had the largest paper in New York City and copycats were popping up。 This began the attention-capture and information economy in which we now live。 And there’s been an arms race to leverage our thirst for information to capture our attention ever since。 Still today， roughly 90 percent of news is negative。。。。This trickle of unpredictable negative information grabs us， leveraging the loop。 And this affects us。 Consider， immediately after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings， researchers from the University of California， Irvine， investigated two groups。 The first group was made up of people who watched six or more hours of televised bombing coverage。 The second group was people who actually ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon。 The finding: The first group， the bombing news bingers， were more likely to develop PTSD and other mental health issues。 That’s worth restating: people who binge-watched bombing news on TV from the comfort of home had more psychological trauma than people who were actually bombed。 The best chapter in the book， ironically， is the one that has nothing to do with the Scarcity Loop， except to serve as a stark counter example。 It's called Happiness， and was surprising。 Easter goes and lives with Benedictine monks in an austere lifestyle characterized by significant amounts of prayer and physical labor and repetitive structure， but also by calm confidence and happiness。Benedict believed that monks and the public alike should have enough in proportion to their needs， but nothing to excess。 And that goes for everything: food， possessions， influence， and the like。 He called this “proportion。” It’s the recognition that every human has different needs and temperaments。 Most religions preach moderation or the middle path。 But Benedict understood that “moderation” is different for everyone。 Enough for one person might be too much for another might be too little for another。 Benedict even taught that self-denial and going with too little often stirs up pride， a snooty “holier than thou” attitude。 Having too much or too little， he believed， was a distraction from the ultimate goal。 （rest of review cut due to length restrictions in goodreads） 。。。more
Josh
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Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter is a book about how our brains are wired for scarcity， and how this can lead us to make bad decisions and crave things that are not good for us。 Easter also talks about how we can rewire our brains to break the scarcity cycle and thrive in a world of abundance。Scarcity Brain is not a self-help book in the traditional sense， and it is not a scientific paper either。 It is a hybrid of both， and it jumps around a bit。 Easter is a great storyteller， and he uses his ow Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter is a book about how our brains are wired for scarcity， and how this can lead us to make bad decisions and crave things that are not good for us。 Easter also talks about how we can rewire our brains to break the scarcity cycle and thrive in a world of abundance。Scarcity Brain is not a self-help book in the traditional sense， and it is not a scientific paper either。 It is a hybrid of both， and it jumps around a bit。 Easter is a great storyteller， and he uses his own personal experiences to illustrate his points。 He also interviews a wide range of experts， from neuroscientists to economists to philosophers。I think that the book would work better if it either focused on the science or on the author's path of self-discovery。 However， I also think that the book is valuable as it is。 It is a thought-provoking book that can help us to understand our own behavior and make better choices in our lives。I would recommend Scarcity Brain to anyone who is interested in personal development， behavioral economics， or neuroscience。 It is a well-written and informative book that can help us to understand why we crave more， and how we can rewire our brains to be more content with what we already have。 。。。more
Yasser Al Shukairi
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Mankind has reached a tipping point in progression leading to an evolutionary mismatch between our hardwired desire to want more and our diminishing cognitive ability in light of a modern age of abundance。 Michael Easter masterfully makes a case for this paradoxical challenge， lays it’s consequences and how they be addressed by doing less。
Tracy Brower
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Excellent！ Really enjoyed this and all the research it includes。 Important and interesting concepts。
Brian Vargo
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If 4 stars is I really liked it then ok， but I'm taking 1/2 a star for the discussion about religion at the end。 Regardless of what Camille Paglia has to say about it， religion is dangerous and it certainly isn't a benign community builder。 Religion kills people。 I don't know what Easter was doing on 9/11 but I was working at the bench at DuPont after a night of MNF， Broncos over the Giants。 Myanmar， Charlie Hebdo， Theo van Gogh， Boco Haram， Isis， the Inquisition， the Crusades， Pious XI， pogroms If 4 stars is I really liked it then ok， but I'm taking 1/2 a star for the discussion about religion at the end。 Regardless of what Camille Paglia has to say about it， religion is dangerous and it certainly isn't a benign community builder。 Religion kills people。 I don't know what Easter was doing on 9/11 but I was working at the bench at DuPont after a night of MNF， Broncos over the Giants。 Myanmar， Charlie Hebdo， Theo van Gogh， Boco Haram， Isis， the Inquisition， the Crusades， Pious XI， pogroms， the total annihilation of civilizations by the conquistadores 。。。 No， religion isn't ok， and it's not just something one can laugh off。 There are those in this country who would relish the opportunity to make this a theocracy and it is incumbent on all of us who want to preserve liberty to stand up for it。 （This book was in between Hecht's Doubt and Buruma's A Murder in Amsterdam so the topics are pretty top-of-mind。）Ok， now that I'm done with that， I found the part about Iraq to be completely out of left field and didn't need to be in the book as it really didn't move the narrative along。 Why do I care about some crazy Iraqi fixer running into other cars whilst on a cell phone？ I also feel like "scarcity loop" is doing a lot more work then it needs to。 The central part of the "scarcity loop" is unpredictable results。 Why would Easter not use the term "variable-reinforcement schedule？" He discusses Skinner but decides not to use the actual term for that particularly type of behavior modification。 Even at the end of the book， he talks about a variable-reinforcement schedule （VRS – https://www。google。com/search？q=varia。。。）， but that term is never used。 The only logical explanation I can come up with is that Easter was so wedded to his "scarcity brain" term that he was afraid that using the actual terminology would show that a big portion of his model is simply how animals capable of it respond most strongly to a VRS。 He admits that the concepts aren't new to him， that's why he went to the casino research outfit in the first place。Criticism aside， there's a lot of good information and food for thought in this book and I'm glad I read it。 Easter's description of how alcohol was a crazy fun ride—until it wasn't， was excellent。 。。。more
PF Chang
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Meh。 Chicken soup for the soul
Annie Oortman
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Wow！ Michael Easter’s “Scarcity Brain” does for the mind what his “The Comfort Crisis” （2021） did for the body。 Using hard data & intriguing research， Easter makes a strong case for rethinking daily behavior & everything our hardwired “scarcity brain” compels us to do。 Better understanding of why we crave more can help us shut down mindless yearnings & experience life in a more satisfying way。
Tony
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Good food for thought， although many of the chapter seemed more anecdotal than scientific。
Rahul Dutta
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Doesn’t provide anything particularly insightful。 Disappointing considering how great his first book was。 Didn’t finish entire thing。
Donna
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Genres: Nonficiton - PsychologyThis was kind of fun in a nerdy way。 The idea of scarcity thinking has been getting a lot of press lately。 You can't even turn on a podcast without somebody mentioning it。 I liked how the author took many different facets of life and used those to show the scarcity mindset。 Was this life changing？ No。 But interesting enough for my afternoon。 So 3 stars。 Genres: Nonficiton - PsychologyThis was kind of fun in a nerdy way。 The idea of scarcity thinking has been getting a lot of press lately。 You can't even turn on a podcast without somebody mentioning it。 I liked how the author took many different facets of life and used those to show the scarcity mindset。 Was this life changing？ No。 But interesting enough for my afternoon。 So 3 stars。 。。。more
Ryan Bowen
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Michael Easter once again does an excellent job of taking what could be considered boring scientific research and interweaves it with an epic journey（s） he’s taken。 Scarcity Brain explains why we continue to do things that are not necessarily good for us。 The part of us that allowed us to survive as a hunter and gather society is now hijacked by modern society。 Once we realize the scarcity loop we can break free from it。
Gord Hicks
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Well。 Happy I read it。 Happier that it was on a free download。 Really enjoyed comfort crisis。 This book is 300 ish pages that could be wrapped up in a chapter or Ted talk。 Maybe a podcast。 Don’t get me wrong there was some really great stuff in there but it seems like he talked forever waiting for the point to fall out
Bradley Bertoniere
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High Expectations were met。 The Comfort Crisis is one of my favorite books。 I came into The Scarcity Brain with extremely high expectations。 The first few chapters made me uncomfortable。 The gambling as entertainment example made me squirm in my seat。 As I continued reading I realized I was learning about how my brain works and that knowledge scared me。 Then I remembered the message from The Comfort Crisis。 Sometimes it’s better to be uncomfortable。 The more I read the more I loved it。 Especiall High Expectations were met。 The Comfort Crisis is one of my favorite books。 I came into The Scarcity Brain with extremely high expectations。 The first few chapters made me uncomfortable。 The gambling as entertainment example made me squirm in my seat。 As I continued reading I realized I was learning about how my brain works and that knowledge scared me。 Then I remembered the message from The Comfort Crisis。 Sometimes it’s better to be uncomfortable。 The more I read the more I loved it。 Especially the last chapters with the Benedictine monks。 Mr。 Easter continues to inspire me and my writing and I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Justin
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Great book that has some good researched topics。 Found a few useful things to help with my life。
Tika
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From the moment I started listening， the subject of this book came up in nearly every single conversation。 I picked it up to start the work of untangling bad fiscal habits， and it doesn’t disappoint。 Thanks， Michael。
David
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Was a 4 until the last ~20 pages， then jetted to a 5; highly recommend
Ravi Shah
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“Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter”This book reveals the biological and evolutionary foundations behind our brain’s fixations so that we can recognize the trap and embark on journey of living more satisfying， healthier and meaningful on the long run for the years to come。Are we hardwired to crave more？ From food and stuff to information and influence， why can't we ever get enough？The problem is our scarcity mindset， and new technology and institutions from dating and entertainment apps to our foo “Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter”This book reveals the biological and evolutionary foundations behind our brain’s fixations so that we can recognize the trap and embark on journey of living more satisfying， healthier and meaningful on the long run for the years to come。Are we hardwired to crave more？ From food and stuff to information and influence， why can't we ever get enough？The problem is our scarcity mindset， and new technology and institutions from dating and entertainment apps to our food and economic systems - are exploiting our scarcity brain。 It's a three-part Scarcity Loop that is the ultimate killer of moderation。 - An opportunity to get something of value that improves our life。- Unpredictable Rewards- Quick RepeatabilityWe can see the loop in our everyday life like Social Media （mindless scrolling）， Food （overeating）， gaming， shopping， games， news， etc。 Easter traveled the world to consult with remarkable innovators and leading scientists who are finding surprising solutions for our scarcity brain。 He discovered simple tactics that can move us toward an abundance mindset， cement healthy habits， and allow us to live our lives to the fullest and appreciate what we have。I would highly recommend this book to one and everyone one。 。。。more
Genevieve
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Great points， really boring listen on audible。
Gijs Limonard
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2，5 stars; this was milking the concept of frugality too much; liked The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild， Happy， Healthy Self; but the substance of this book is derivative， no original insights to be found here。 2，5 stars; this was milking the concept of frugality too much; liked The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild， Happy， Healthy Self; but the substance of this book is derivative， no original insights to be found here。 。。。more
Ryan
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I really enjoyed reading through this one because it took me back to the behaviorism courses that I took as part of my graduate program and applied them to more modern problems; not that these are really new problems。 Overcoming the wiring of our brain and the patterns that we learn as children seems to be a hot topic these days and this book is a very approachable entrance into this world of info for the non-psyc majors。Thanks to NetGalley and Rodale Books for an ARC of this book。
Sammy
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I received a pre-release version of this book。 For anyone who read his earlier book Comfort Crisis， this is a good companion。 I think Comfort Crisis is nearly required reading。 This one less so。 Each chapter's focus （gambling， food， meaning） is well done but they collectively they are less cohesive， certainly as compared with the earlier book。 I received a pre-release version of this book。 For anyone who read his earlier book Comfort Crisis， this is a good companion。 I think Comfort Crisis is nearly required reading。 This one less so。 Each chapter's focus （gambling， food， meaning） is well done but they collectively they are less cohesive， certainly as compared with the earlier book。 。。。more
Elsof
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Lots of info on why we crave， the futility of it in terms of getting us to feel the happiness we really seek， and then some pat explanations for how we can stop or reframe。
Christine Bauman
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Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Scarcity Brain。I've read a number of these brain-hacking books over the years， and while Scarcity Brain had a few things I really liked， overall I did not find it as useful as others。 First off， I'll go over what I liked。 I really appreciated the premise; that we all fall into repetitive actions that veer into overindulgence in our modern era。 Many of us struggle with it。 I enjoyed reading about how natural this mental process is， and how rooted in the evolu Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Scarcity Brain。I've read a number of these brain-hacking books over the years， and while Scarcity Brain had a few things I really liked， overall I did not find it as useful as others。 First off， I'll go over what I liked。 I really appreciated the premise; that we all fall into repetitive actions that veer into overindulgence in our modern era。 Many of us struggle with it。 I enjoyed reading about how natural this mental process is， and how rooted in the evolution of our hunter/gatherer pasts。 I liked reading about gambling and "gamification"。 I enjoyed getting a clear understanding of "the what"， but did not find "the how" sections as helpful in combating "Scarcity Loops"。 I found the people he interviewed to be largely those who escaped modern life entirely or were never part of it （astronaut， survivalist， monk etc。）， not those who （like many readers） exist in low to middle class lifestyles and are trapped in 9 to 5 jobs to keep families afloat。 I'm a mom of 3 and I have to raise my family surrounded by these triggers。 I cannot escape to a new environment。 Maybe he could have interviewed a more ordinary person like me。 I would tell him I use the library for the dopamine， and thrift shops to mimic "the hunt"。 I challenge myself with online recipes as a way to eat cheap and be grateful for my delicious food。 Even NetGalley is a free form of "treasure hunting with unpredictable rewards"。 （Thanks NG！） And lastly， I garden as a way to keep an ongoing sense of exploration in my life。 I dream of escaping to a farm but at the moment， we can't afford to leave the suburbs。I had the same problem with James Clear's Atomic Habits （who once suggested giving money away as a self-punishment for failing a habit。 Which in case it's not obvious， is not a viable suggestion for someone with food or wealth insecurity。） Suggestions like that come across as out of touch with lower class folks who truly live with scarcity。 I wish books like this did more to address day to day solutions for average people。I also didn't appreciate the solution of Christianity to cope。 To toss it in at the end of the book felt a little bamboozley in a secular book。 I find religion to be a regressive suggestion for the kind of change non-religious people wish to see in the world。This book might be more useful for religious， the wealthy， or those unencumbered by children， none of which happen to apply to me。 But I appreciate the discussion being started。 。。。more
Kelly Pramberger
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Sort of slow at first but picked up as I got further into the book。 Easter covers a lot of material that was fairly new to me。 I liked the endorsement from Melissa Urban of The Whole 30。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。
Markie
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"Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough" by Michael Easter appears to be a book that delves into the psychological and evolutionary aspects of our cravings and desires for more， exploring how our modern society and technology have influenced these tendencies。The book seems to challenge the idea that our insatiable cravings for food， material possessions， information， and influence are solely our fault。 Instead， it suggests that our cravings are deep "Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough" by Michael Easter appears to be a book that delves into the psychological and evolutionary aspects of our cravings and desires for more， exploring how our modern society and technology have influenced these tendencies。The book seems to challenge the idea that our insatiable cravings for food， material possessions， information， and influence are solely our fault。 Instead， it suggests that our cravings are deeply rooted in our evolutionary history， stemming from a time when scarcity was a constant threat and seeking out resources was essential for survival。 However， in our modern world where resources are abundant， this "scarcity brain" mindset may lead to detrimental habits and unfulfilling pursuits。Michael Easter seems to have explored various sources， including interviews with innovators and scientists， to uncover tactics and strategies that can help individuals shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset。 These strategies appear to focus on detecting hidden cues that trigger cravings， redefining how we think about addiction and habits， and finding satisfaction in what we already have。The book's approach seems to combine scientific insights with practical advice， aiming to help readers rewire their habits and thoughts to achieve a more fulfilling and contented life。 By exploring various aspects of life， from alone time to exploration and reframing addiction， "Scarcity Brain" appears to provide a comprehensive perspective on how to navigate the modern world's abundance while curbing unhealthy cravings and habits。If you're interested in understanding the roots of your cravings and learning how to navigate them in a healthier way， this book might offer valuable insights and actionable strategies for cultivating a more balanced and satisfying lifestyle。 。。。more
Cat
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Thank you！ I hope to learn from this book。 An important topic in today's consumer culture。 Thank you！ I hope to learn from this book。 An important topic in today's consumer culture。 。。。more
Monica
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Michael Easter’s Scarcity Brain is a deeply researched book about why we do what we do: why do we eat that entire bag of chips？ Because we might never get more。 Why do we gamble？ Work too much？ Drink to excess？ Do drugs？ Because we are evolutionarily wired to overindulge in substances and activities that maybe， just might， could， become harder to access next time。 This drive is ruthlessly exploited by the people and entities that want to sell us more and more — or get us hooked on gambling， shop Michael Easter’s Scarcity Brain is a deeply researched book about why we do what we do: why do we eat that entire bag of chips？ Because we might never get more。 Why do we gamble？ Work too much？ Drink to excess？ Do drugs？ Because we are evolutionarily wired to overindulge in substances and activities that maybe， just might， could， become harder to access next time。 This drive is ruthlessly exploited by the people and entities that want to sell us more and more — or get us hooked on gambling， shopping， or anything else they can make money on。Easter’s book explores the psychology behind Scarcity Brain。 It looks at the emotional and behavioral drivers that keep us in the scarcity loop。 Easter’s writing is personal and accessible — he brings the reader into his investigations so that we， too， can experience what he’s learning。 From Las Vegas to Iraq to the Amazon， it all adds to the case he builds for how humans look at risk and reward。Easter suggests replacing scarcity loops with abundance loops --and offers examples-- but his main focus is on awareness。 We need to know we're being manipulated in order to find a way out。 After all， he says， “We have one shot at life。 The scarcity loop … pushes us into short-term thinking … at the expense of long-term rewards， growth， and meaning”。 Wise words。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Megan Vick
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Favorite Quote: Because here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how much gas we give good new habits; if we don’t resolve our bad ones， we still have our foot on the brake。Synopsis: Scarcity Brain is the companion book we never knew we needed。 While so many books discuss how to build good habits， few books dive into why we have bad habits in the first place。 Scarcity Brain gives you insight into the scarcity loop。 Easter investigates how our scarcity mindset causes us to overindulge in food， booze， Favorite Quote: Because here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how much gas we give good new habits; if we don’t resolve our bad ones， we still have our foot on the brake。Synopsis: Scarcity Brain is the companion book we never knew we needed。 While so many books discuss how to build good habits， few books dive into why we have bad habits in the first place。 Scarcity Brain gives you insight into the scarcity loop。 Easter investigates how our scarcity mindset causes us to overindulge in food， booze， gambling， exercise， perfectionism， work， etc。 From Baghdad to Bolivia， Easter’s quests help provide context on the neuroscientific reasons why we behave the way we do。 He also explores the emotional and mental drivers that keep us in the scarcity loop， perpetuating and sometimes exacerbating unpleasant （even harmful） actions。 After I read The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter， I was utterly delighted to get the ARC for Scarcity Brain。 Easter has a way of writing that connects the reader to his topic and the people he interviews。 Throughout the book， I learned new things， but most importantly， I found insight into why I can’t seem to shake some of my less desirable habits。 Easter is no stranger to walking the walk by putting himself into highly stressful situations to get answers。 He also presents information in a way that， naturally， makes his point， but he’s also clear about arguments and counterpoints to his perspective。 Each story and anecdote is carefully woven in each chapter so you have a complete picture when you reach the end。 If you’ve ever read a book about building habits （Atomic Habits by James Clear， Tiny Habits by B。J。 Fogg， The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg）， you should definitely read Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter。 。。。more
LZW
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