603: Michael Easter - How To Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough... "Have Fun, Don't Die, Read Books, & Do Strange Things"
Michael Easter, best-selling author of "The Comfort Crisis" and professor at UNLV, shares insights from his diverse investigations across the globe. He advocates for being a 'two percenter' by embracing discomfort for personal growth and mental well-being. Michael discusses the importance of intentional living and minimizing smartphone addiction, highlighting unique strategies like rucking at airports. He emphasizes adopting healthier habits through diet and physical activity while addressing the psychological impacts of overconsumption in today's society.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Be a 2-Percenter
Be a 2-percenter by choosing the harder path, like taking the stairs.
This leads to long-term gains in health and well-being.
insights INSIGHT
Evolutionary Wiring
Humans are wired to do the easiest thing due to evolutionary programming for survival in harsh environments.
Modern comforts exacerbate this tendency, hindering long-term well-being.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Embrace Discomfort
Embrace small, intentional discomforts, like walking during calls or working in silence.
These actions expand your comfort zone and improve productivity.
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Michael Easter’s investigations have taken him to meet with monks in ancient monasteries in Bhutan, lost tribes in the jungles of Bolivia, US Special Forces soldiers in undisclosed locations, gene scientists in Iceland, CEOs in Fortune-500 boardrooms, and more. He’s a professor at UNLV and he’s the best-selling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain.
“The modern world is designed for short-term survival and pleasure. It is not set up to help us thrive in the long term.” “Have fun, don’t die, read books, and do strange things.”
Be a 2 percenter. 98% of people do the easy thing. We are programmed to do the easy thing.
The world was uncomfortable a while ago...
It makes sense to do the easy thing. You get the short-term reward for it.
Handle adversity, adapt, do the slightly harder thing
Some ideas: do walking meetings, work in silence, embrace hunger, don't cut corners, pick up the trash, call people on the phone. Ruck the airport. Don't sit down, walk. Read while exercising. Workout outside. Sprint. Lift weights. The ability to move a limb quickly is what helps old people not fall. Need to be powerful and springy to move quickly (and not fall).
Diet - One ingredient foods. Tribe in Bolivia with the healthiest hearts in the world. Be outside, eat one ingredient foods.
Scarcity brain - We all suck at moderation. We overconsume... Casinos, slot machines. Quick, repeatable, predictable. The speed makes it powerful.
Silicon Valley learned this from casinos and it's how they build their apps.
The smartphone withdrawal effect. Worse in short term. Better in the long term.
Break bad habits - Slow down. Respond, don't react. Wait 72 hours to buy the thing in your online cart.
Junk food is super easy to eat fast. It was designed that way. Your body doesn't know it's full because of the speed.
What did Michael learn from a tribe in a Bolivian jungle?
They seemed very happy. What did they do? They ate single-ingredient food. They spent a lot of time outside. And they spent a lot of time together. What can we learn from that? Eat healthy, go outside, and spend time with people you love.
“A lot of problems are not our fault, but they are our problems to solve.” Remember, we are wired to choose the escalator, fast food or to cut the corner. We need to be intentional in taking the stairs, slowing down, and responding instead of reacting.
How the scarcity loop works: It has three parts: opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability. Becoming aware of it can help you fall into it less often.
Michael has been sober for 9 years. His drinking addiction stemmed from having a boring life (job he didn't like). Needed to explore the edges. Booze did that for him.
Iraq - Sandstorm. We don't read books here. We don't have that luxury.We have too many problems to deal with.
In America, we live in a country where we can read books.
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