Why You Always Want More, And How To Fix It | Michael Easter
Michael Easter, author of Scarcity Brain and The Comfort Crisis, discusses how our ancient brains lead to overconsumption in modern life. He introduces the "scarcity loop" that drives addictive behaviors and offers strategies to counteract it by embracing meaningful discomfort and positive stimulation.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction to Human Insatiability and Michael Easter
The Scarcity Brain: Evolutionary Roots of Overconsumption
Mismatch Between Ancient Brains and Modern Abundance
Scarcity Mindset vs. Abundance Mindset
Prevalence-Induced Concept Change and Modern Problems
The Scarcity Loop: Opportunity, Unpredictable Rewards, Quick Repeatability
Applying the Scarcity Loop for Positive Behavior (Pokemon Go)
Addressing Time Scarcity
Optimal Stimulation Theory and Pigeon Experiments
Rewiring Habits: Expanding Your 'Pigeon Cage'
Tactical Ways to Break Bad Habits Using the Scarcity Loop
Personal Changes After Researching Scarcity Brain
The Comfort Crisis: Basic Thesis
Intolerance for Discomfort and Modern Problems (Anxiety, Boredom)
Embracing Short-Term Discomfort for Long-Term Benefit (The 2%er Mindset)
Personal Application of Embracing Discomfort
The Three-Day Effect of Backcountry Nature
The Impact of Silence in the Modern World
7 Key Concepts
Scarcity Brain
Humans evolved in environments where survival necessities were scarce, leading to a wiring to overdo things like food, possessions, information, and status. This ancient wiring now mismatches a modern world of abundance, driving overconsumption.
Mismatch
This concept describes how ancient human genes, evolved for survival in scarce environments (e.g., overeating when food is available), are ill-suited for the modern world of abundance. This leads to problems like overconsumption, as our natural inclinations no longer serve us well.
Prevalence-Induced Concept Change
As humans experience fewer and fewer problems, they do not necessarily become more satisfied; instead, they lower their threshold for what they consider a problem. This results in a constant perception of having the same number of troubles, even if the problems themselves become more 'hollow' over time.
Scarcity Loop
A three-part system that hooks humans (and animals) on a behavior, getting them to repeat it over and over. It consists of opportunity (to get something of value), unpredictable rewards (not knowing when or how valuable it will be), and quick repeatability (the ability to repeat the behavior immediately).
Optimal Stimulation Theory
This theory states that all animals, including humans, need a certain amount of stimulation in their life to thrive. If this necessary stimulation is not met by their environment, they will go searching for it elsewhere, sometimes in unproductive ways like overdoing social media or gambling.
The Comfort Crisis
The basic thesis is that as the world has become increasingly comfortable, humans have lost many fundamental evolutionary discomforts that historically kept them happy and healthy. This avoidance of discomfort contributes to modern problems like anxiety, obesity, and lack of physical activity.
The Three-Day Effect
This phenomenon describes how after a person spends at least three days in backcountry nature, totally off the grid without a cell phone, they experience a significant calming effect. Researchers describe it as almost entering a meditative state, with clearer thoughts and increased centeredness.
8 Questions Answered
Humans evolved in environments where essential resources were scarce, wiring them to overdo things like food, possessions, and information when available, a wiring that now mismatches the modern world of abundance.
The scarcity loop is a three-part system consisting of opportunity (to get something valuable), unpredictable rewards (not knowing when or how valuable it will be), and quick repeatability, which makes humans (and animals) repeat behaviors like gambling or checking social media.
Yes, the scarcity loop can be engineered for good, as demonstrated by games like Pokemon Go, which use the loop to encourage physical activity, time outdoors, and social interaction.
Humans are wired to do more and add more, leading them to pack schedules full of activities and opportunities, which, despite having more free time historically, creates a feeling of not having enough time.
By intentionally changing any of the three parts of the scarcity loop: reducing the opportunity to do the behavior (e.g., removing tempting items), or reducing the speed/quick repeatability of the behavior (e.g., adding pauses before engaging).
The comfort crisis describes how increasing comfort in the modern world has led to a loss of fundamental evolutionary discomforts (like hunger, physical activity, time in nature) that historically kept humans happy and healthy, contributing to issues like anxiety and physical health problems.
Boredom, a natural discomfort that prompts action, is now easily escaped with digital media, leading people to spend excessive time with devices (12-13 hours daily) instead of engaging in more productive or stimulating activities.
The '2%er' mentality refers to choosing short-term discomfort for long-term benefit, like taking the stairs instead of an escalator, recognizing that humans are wired for the easiest path, but small, consistent acts of discomfort can lead to significant positive changes.
22 Actionable Insights
1. Rewire Life for Positive Stimulation
Instead of directly fighting bad habits, focus on adding more meaningful and life-giving activities and stimulation to your life. This approach often causes bad habits to naturally fall away by addressing the underlying human need for stimulation.
2. Embrace Short-Term Discomfort
Actively choose short-term discomforts to gain long-term benefits in health, growth, and happiness. This strategy counters the modern tendency to prioritize immediate comfort at the expense of overall well-being.
3. Understand Scarcity Loop Mechanics
Learn that behaviors become addictive when they offer opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability. This understanding allows you to identify and strategically alter these elements in your own habits to reduce their hold.
4. Nix Worst Habits First
Prioritize eliminating your most detrimental habits, as these act like a ‘foot on the brake’ and are more impactful to remove than merely adding new good habits. Removing these significant blockers can create more momentum for positive change.
5. Change Scarcity Loop Elements
To reduce the frequency of an unwanted behavior, modify any of the three parts of the scarcity loop: opportunity, unpredictable rewards, or quick repeatability. By disrupting even one element, you can weaken the habit’s grip.
6. Reduce Opportunity for Bad Habits
Remove temptations from your immediate environment to reduce the opportunity to engage in unwanted behaviors. For example, if you have an Oreo-eating problem, avoid keeping Oreos in your house.
7. Introduce Pause to Behaviors
Reduce the speed at which you can repeat a behavior by introducing a pause, as faster repetition increases the likelihood of habit formation. This can be done through conscious delays or using apps that prompt intentionality.
8. Delay Online Purchases
When shopping online, commit to only buying items in person or by adding them to your cart and waiting 72 hours before completing the purchase. This reduces compulsive, quick buying and allows for reflection.
9. Engage in Meaningful Hobbies
Actively pursue hobbies and fun activities that provide positive stimulation and meaning. This can reduce reliance on food or other less productive behaviors for enjoyment, as you have alternative sources of fulfillment.
10. Practice Intuitive Eating
Learn to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues rather than external food rules. This allows you to eat when genuinely hungry and stop when truly full, promoting a healthier relationship with food.
11. Seek Annual Backcountry Stint
Aim to spend at least three days annually in backcountry nature, completely off the grid without a cell phone. This duration has been shown to significantly calm the mind and lead to a meditative state, offering a mental reset.
12. Increase Daily Physical Movement
Incorporate more movement throughout your day by taking stairs, parking farther away, or pacing during phone calls. These small, consistent actions accumulate to significant calorie burn and overall health benefits.
13. Lean Into Boredom
When boredom arises, resist the immediate urge to reach for a device and instead allow your mind to wander. This can be an opportunity for ideas, creative thought, and a break from constant stimulation.
14. Walk Without Electronic Devices
Take walks without your phone or other electronic devices to allow your mind to freely wander and to experience the environment more fully. This simple act can enhance creativity and reduce mental clutter.
15. Actively Embrace Silence
Seek out periods of silence, as the modern world’s constant noise is a stressor that can impair focus and overall well-being. Spending time in quiet environments can lead to reduced stress and improved concentration.
16. Be Willing to Have Hard Conversations
Don’t let difficult issues fester; be willing to engage in tough conversations with loved ones. Addressing these directly can prevent long-term stress and significantly improve relationships.
17. Engage in Self-Introspection
Regularly engage in self-introspection to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and motivations. This is a worthy effort that contributes to personal growth and self-awareness.
18. Undertake a Big Epic Challenge
Consider attempting a significant, challenging endeavor (like an expedition or a long retreat) about once a year. Overcoming such challenges can profoundly change your self-perception and behavior, fostering psychic change.
19. Adopt the ‘2%er’ Mindset
Consciously choose the slightly harder, more beneficial option (like taking the stairs instead of the escalator) in small daily decisions. This mindset helps accumulate long-term gains in health and well-being.
20. Approach Meditation Without Desire
When meditating, avoid looking for specific rewards or outcomes, as desire can hinder the experience. Instead, simply be present and cool with whatever arises, allowing the benefits to unfold naturally.
21. Avoid Shame, Titrate Discomfort
When encouraging yourself or others to embrace discomfort, avoid shame, as the wiring to choose comfort is natural. Instead, focus on small, gradual increases in your comfort zone over time.
22. Recognize Innate Human Capability
Understand that humans are often more capable than they perceive themselves to be, having evolved to be underconfident yet overcapable. Taking the first hard step often reveals hidden strengths and resilience.
7 Key Quotes
One of the primary bugs in the human operating system, one of our most annoying design flaws is that we are insatiable.
Dan Harris
As humans experience fewer and fewer problems, we don't actually become more satisfied. We basically just lower our threshold for what we consider a problem.
Michael Easter
If you want to get a human or really animal hooked on a behavior, get them to repeat the behavior over and over and over. It's got to have these three parts that fall into this loop. It's got to have opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability.
Michael Easter
Bad habits are like a foot on the brake. And so it doesn't matter how much gas you're given the good new ones. You're still not going to go anywhere.
Michael Easter
I think that the world is generally set up that we can choose short-term comfort, but that is at the expense of long-term growth of health of happiness. And so the solution to that is to simply embrace short-term discomfort and get a long-term benefit.
Michael Easter
I will never take an escalator in my life, Dan.
Michael Easter
I think that people are just way more capable than we often think. I think humans evolved to be underconfident, yet overcapable.
Michael Easter
2 Protocols
Breaking Bad Habits Using the Scarcity Loop
Michael Easter- Identify the bad habit and determine if it falls into the scarcity loop (opportunity, unpredictable rewards, quick repeatability).
- Change the 'opportunity' by removing access to the tempting item or situation (e.g., do not keep Oreos in your house if you have an Oreo eating problem).
- Reduce the 'speed' or 'quick repeatability' of the behavior by introducing a pause or friction (e.g., use an app like Clear Space before opening a distracting app, or wait 72 hours before buying an online item).
Embracing Discomfort (The 2%er Mindset)
Michael Easter- Identify small, easy opportunities throughout the day to choose short-term discomfort over short-term comfort.
- Consistently choose the slightly harder option (e.g., take the stairs instead of the escalator, park in the farthest spot, take work calls while pacing).
- Apply this mindset to various areas of life, including eating habits, time outdoors, and even difficult conversations with loved ones, to accumulate long-term benefits.