Scarcity Brain: Why We Do What’s Bad for Us and How to Stop w/ Michael Easter

There’s a reason people keep gambling even though we know the house always wins. There’s a reason we compulsively open apps on our phone without realizing it. Human beings are prone to falling into the trap of behaviors that feel good in the short term but hurt us in the long-term. 

It’s the scarcity loop, and some of the ways our world has changed make it easier for us to get caught up in it. From food to slot machines and social media, there are whole industries pouring billions into keeping us stuck in the loop. 

In order to escape the trap, we have to embrace short-term discomfort in different ways so we can live better and healthier lives. The good news is, the scarcity loop can be leveraged to work another way - to get us to install and maintain positive habits. Sneaking the broccoli into the Mac and Cheese, if you will. We’re naturally attracted to the scarcity loop. If we can find a way to leverage it for good, that’s the ultimate hack for doing the right things. 

Why can't we escape the things that are bad for us? What can we learn from other parts of the world about doing what’s good for us? In today’s Book Club, we’re joined by speaker, professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain, Michael Easter. He talks about the book, the research that inspired it and interesting insights about habits - good and bad. 

The faster and easier you repeat a behavior that’s rewarding to you, the more likely you are to keep repeating it. -Michael Easter

Use the scarcity loop to your advantage 

There are 3 parts to the scarcity loop - the opportunity, the unpredictable reward (with a crazy range of outcomes) and repeatability. Once we know what’s going on, we can leverage this loop for our benefit. Humans are naturally attracted to the scarcity loop. If you can find a way to leverage it for good, that’s the ultimate hack for falling into a positive habit. One way we can turn the scarcity loop on its head is to slow down the repeatable behaviors. With phones and apps you use too much, you can use an app like Clearspace to delay the gratification we get from them. Research has even found that having grayscale on your phone reduces your screen time by 40 minutes because colors direct behavior. 

Don’t underestimate the insights of experience

It’s easy to do research on the internet but if you’re researching everything that means someone else already figured that thing out too. Experience is one of the greatest teachers that can lead you to experiences that aren’t already out there. 

The truth about happiness 

There’s no perfect path to happiness, though it often gets communicated to us that there’s a formula. The commonalities happy people have is they figure out what brings them deeper satisfaction, they focus beyond the worldly trappings like possessions, titles and money in the bank. They also have a bigger reason and higher purpose that will help other people. The promise but also the peril of living is you have to find that path for you. 

Guest Info

Michael Easter is a speaker, professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain and The Comfort Crisis. He has made a career of traveling the world to uncover practical ideas that help people live healthier, happier, and more remarkable lives. Michael’s research has taken him everywhere – from war zones to the Arctic to the Bolivian jungle. He’s interviewed thousands of experts, from Nobel laureates to world-class athletes, and pored over countless studies to find the best science-backed tactics you can use to optimize your life. His goal has always been to take these insights from the edge and make them accessible and actionable for readers. Go to https://eastermichael.com/ and sign up for The 2% Newsletter.  

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