The Scarcity Brain Loop and How Our Brains Are Being Hijacked By the Environment with Michael Easter
Dhru Purohit Show
Dhru Purohit
4.7 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 2 November 2023
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, Cozy Earth, and Beekeepers.
Our modern lifestyles and technology have led us to crave and consume with addictive tendencies and a hope of immediate gratification. Whether it's food, social media, news, gambling, or even alcohol, we know that people are struggling with moderation, balance and feeling fulfilled.
Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru sits down with professor and journalist Michael Easter to discuss how our ancient brains lead us to the “scarcity brain.” Michael shares what he has learned through his research and travels about stopping cravings, learning and processing information in our daily lives, and reframing our thoughts on addiction.
Michael Easter is an author, journalist, and professor known for his work on a wide range of topics, including fitness, nutrition, mental health, and environmental conservation. He is the author of a book titled The Comfort Crisis, where he explores the concept of embracing discomfort as a method to improve physical and mental resilience. His newest book is called Scarcity Brain, where he focuses on our ancient mindset and how it can lead us to have a scarcity mindset, crave more, and have addictive behaviors.
In this episode, Dhru and Michael dive into (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):
-Living in a world that is designed to take advantage of our brains (2:30 / 2:30)
-Why is focusing on bad habits a key to unlocking longevity (4:00 / 4:00)
-Michael’s time with the Tsimane tribe in Bolivia and what he learned about scarcity mindset (5:44 / 5:44)
-What is the scarcity loop (13:02 / 10:36)
-How a routine and eating the same thing each day can lead people to make better food choices (20:18 / 17:54)
-The history of ultra-processed foods and how the industry uses them to cause addiction (23:47 / 21:14)
-Where does the scarcity loop live in the brain, and what it causes us to feel (26:40 / 24:19)
-Michael’s thoughts on addiction, what he has learned, and how it applies to various forms of addictions (32:00 / 28:14)
-Certainty and what role it plays in your overall journey and goals (42:44 / 38:49)
-Michael’s time with Benedictine monks and what he learned (48:44 / 44:46)
-How to prevent behaviors that operate within the scarcity loop (51:33 / 47:36)
-Information overload and how to put in the effort to truly understand the information you are being (54:07 / 50:10)
-How drinking alcohol at a later age can prevent addiction and how it is used to cope (1:04:00 / 1:00:06)
Also mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Moderation has never made sense for humans for pretty much all of time except until today, so |
| 0:07.1 | when you look at how humans evolved, we loved in these environments where everything we needed to |
| 0:12.2 | survive was scarce, it was hard to find, so everything from food to stuff to information to even |
| 0:18.0 | the amount of status we could get. And if you're the type of person who always crave that, |
| 0:21.9 | tend to do overdue, say, food when you have the opportunity, that would give you a survival advantage. |
| 0:26.9 | So we evolved to not be great at moderation. |
| 0:32.8 | If you're curious about how to rewire your brain from scarcity and addiction to one that's |
| 0:37.9 | driven by contentment and joy, today's episode is for you. Welcome to the Drew Broad podcast. |
| 0:44.8 | Each week we explore the inner workings of the brain and the body with one of the brightest |
| 0:49.0 | minds in wellness, medicine and mindset. This week's guest is Michael Easter and he's here to |
| 0:54.1 | talk to us about the scarcity brain and the scarcity mindset. This left over part of our brain |
| 1:00.0 | that we have from our ancestors that largely was used for good, but today in our modern world is |
| 1:05.9 | being hijacked by our over stimulation from technology and information and of course our |
| 1:12.2 | ultra-process diet which is leading to an abundance of overeating and chronic disease. |
| 1:17.6 | Now a little bit more about Michael. Michael Easter is an American author, journalist and professor |
| 1:23.4 | known for his work on a wide range of topics, including fitness, nutrition, mental health and |
| 1:29.2 | environmental conservation. Michael Easter's career as a writer and a journalist has been marked by |
| 1:34.4 | his passion for exploring the intersection of human well-being and the natural world. He's |
| 1:39.2 | contributed to numerous prestigious publications, including Men's Health, Esquire, Outside and |
| 1:44.8 | National Geographic, amongst others. One of Michael's notable works includes his book The Comfort Crisis, |
| 1:51.2 | Embracing Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, which was published in 2021. In this book he explores |
| 1:58.2 | the concept of embracing discomfort as it means to improve physical and mental resilience. His latest |
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