Are we hardwired to crave more? From food and stuff to information and
influence, why can't we ever get enough?
Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis and one of the world's
leading experts on behavior change, shows that the problem isn't you.
The problem is your scarcity mindset, left over from our ancient
ancestors. They had to constantly seek and consume to survive because
vital survival tools like food, material goods, information, and power
were scarce and hard to find. But with our modern ability to easily
fulfill our ancient desire for more, our hardwired "scarcity brain" is
now backfiring. And new technology and institutions--from dating and
entertainment apps to our food and economic systems--are exploiting our
scarcity brain. They're bombarding us with subversive "scarcity cues,"
subtle triggers that lead us into low-reward cravings that hurt us in
the long run. Scarcity cues can be direct and all-encompassing, like a
sagging economy. Or they can be subtle and slight, like our neighbor
buying a shiny new car.
Easter traveled the world to consult with remarkable innovators and
leading scientists who are finding surprising solutions for our scarcity
brain. He discovered simple tactics that can move us towards an
abundance mindset, cement healthy habits, and allow us to live our lives
to the fullest and appreciate what we have, including how to:
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Detect hidden scarcity cues to stop cravings before they start, from a
brilliant slot machine designer in a Las Vegas casino laboratory
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Turn alone time into the ultimate happiness hack, from artisanal
coffee-making Benedictine monks
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Reignite your exploration gene for a more exciting and fulfilling
life, from an astronaut onboard the International Space Station
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Reframe how we think about and fix addiction and bad habits, from
Iraq's chief psychiatrist
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Recognize when you have enough, from a woman who left a million-dollar
career path to adventure the world
Our world is overloaded with everything we're built to crave. The fix
for scarcity brain isn't to blindly aim for less. It's to understand why
we crave more in the first place, shake our worst habits, and use what
we already have better. Then we can experience life in a new way--a more
satisfying way.
