This chapter explores the concept of the scarcity loop and its impact on various aspects of human behavior, including gambling, social media engagement, and the consumption of junk food. It discusses how the gambling industry utilized the scarcity loop to keep individuals fixated on slot machines, and how other industries have leveraged similar strategies. The chapter also delves into the parallels between human behavior and animal training in response to rewarding stimuli.
Slot machines, social media, and potato chips: we humans seem to find a lot of things hard to consume in moderation. Why does "enough" seem so much harder to say than "more?" Listen as Michael Easter discusses these questions and his book, The Scarcity Brain, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Easter shares ways that our awareness of how our brain works can help us reclaim balance--in our diets, our money, our emotions, and how we spend our time.