This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedantam.

Today we have a story that will change the way you think about many things.

Poverty, loneliness, time, even hunger.

It's a tale about the psychological phenomenon of scarcity.

It affects nearly everything in our lives and connects people who appear to have nothing

in common.

The story of scarcity is a story of how not having enough of what you need can become

the only thing that matters to you.

My name is Brandy Tru.

I'm from Detroit, Michigan.

Brandy Drew has a story that may sound familiar to you, a story of poverty and debt.

It's the kind of story that may lead people to quick conclusions, so pay attention to

your own.

Brandy is now 37.

Six years ago, her life on gravel.

At the time, she ran the dining services department at a senior living facility.

She'd been with a company that ran it for more than a decade.

One day, she made a mistake.

I was just in a rush to get home, that was all, because daycare closes at six.

I get off at five.

It was like maybe a 10 mile drive, busy traffic area.

And I knew I had to pick up diapers and the easiest thing for me, I thought would be to

...