Glorious Professionals 059 - Michael Easter - Best-Selling Author of The Comfort Crisis & Scarcity Brain
Nov 30, 2023
Michael Easter, author and journalist, discusses the search for happiness, cravings in the modern world, finding happiness in restrictive lifestyles, measuring success beyond numbers, embracing discomfort and challenging tasks, embracing imperfection and mistakes, and getting a symbolic tattoo.
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Happiness Chapter Overview
- Michael Easter discusses the last chapter of his book, "Scarcity Brain", which focuses on happiness.
- He explains how the book explores the things humans crave and why, linking it to survival advantages in the past.
Monks and Happiness
- Marketers exploit our desire for happiness by promising it through purchases, influencing our thinking.
- Easter's experience with monks, who live simply but are happier, challenges this consumerist view.
Source of Monks' Happiness
- Monks' happiness derives from a higher purpose, subverting immediate desires for something greater.
- True happiness may lie in serving a purpose beyond material acquisitions or personal gain.