In this engaging conversation, Michael Easter, a writer, editor, and professor, explores the life-changing benefits of embracing discomfort. He shares how his journey to sobriety unveiled the power of challenging experiences. Michael discusses the Japanese concept of misogi through his month-long caribou hunt in Alaska, revealing lessons learned from intense hunger and solitude. He emphasizes how stepping outside our comfort zones enhances mental and physical health and sparks personal growth, encouraging listeners to rediscover the value of discomfort in their daily lives.
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Sobriety and Discomfort
Michael Easter's journey with sobriety highlighted the transformative potential of embracing discomfort.
His family history of alcohol abuse spurred him to seek change, leading to a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience.
insights INSIGHT
The Downside of Comfort
Modern comforts, while beneficial, can negatively impact mental and physical health.
Constant comfort leads to a lack of challenge and meaning, contributing to issues like chronic disease and depression.
insights INSIGHT
Comfort Creep and Problem Creep
The concept of prevalence-induced concept change explains why life feels harder despite increased comfort.
We constantly adapt to new comforts, lowering our threshold for what's acceptable and seeking new problems.
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In 'The Comfort Crisis,' Michael Easter explores the idea that modern society's emphasis on comfort and convenience has led to various physical and mental health issues. Easter's journey takes him to diverse locations, including the Alaskan backcountry, Bhutan, and the labs of neuroscientists, to uncover the benefits of living at the edges of one's comfort zone. He discusses the concept of 'misogi,' a Japanese practice involving challenges that push individuals to their limits, and how such experiences can enhance creativity, reduce burnout and anxiety, and increase overall well-being. The book is a call to action, encouraging readers to break out of their comfort zones and reconnect with the natural world and their own potential[2][3][4].
Our world has never been more convenient and comfortable. With just a few taps of our fingers, we can order food to our door, access endless entertainment options, and keep our climate at a steady 72 degrees. We don't have to put in much effort, much less face any risk or challenge, in order to sustain our daily lives.
In some ways, this quantum leap in humanity's comfort level is a great boon. But in other ways, it's absolutely killing our minds, bodies, and spirit.
My guest says it's time to reclaim the currently-hard-to-come-by but truly essential benefits of discomfort. His name is Michael Easter, and he's a writer, editor, and professor, and the author of The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Michael first shares how his experience with getting sober helped him discover the life-changing potential of doing hard things, before digging into what fleeing from discomfort is doing to our mental and physical health. We then discuss the Japanese idea of misogis, which involves taking on an epic outdoor challenge, and why Michael decided to do a misogi in which he participated in a month-long caribou hunt in the backcountry of Alaska. Michael shares what he learned from the various challenges he encountered during his misogi — including intense hunger, boredom, solitude, and physical exertion —as well as what research can teach all of us about why we need to incorporate these same kinds of discomforts into our everyday lives.
The Art of Manliness 
