Scarcity Brain
Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo first 3 months
Buy Now for $23.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Michael Easter
-
Written by:
-
Michael Easter
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Comfort Crisis asks: Are we hardwired to crave more? From food and stuff to information and influence, why can’t we ever get enough?
“Reveals the biological and evolutionary foundations behind your brain’s fixations, so you can stop seeking and start living.”—Melissa Urban, Whole30 CEO and author of The Book of Boundaries
“Michael Easter’s genius is that he puts data around the edges of what we intuitively believe. His work has inspired many to change their lives for the better.”—Dr. Peter Attia, author of Outlive
Have you ever found yourself wondering “Why do I want more than I have?” 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:
• Detect hidden scarcity cues to stop cravings before they start, from a brilliant slot machine designer in a Las Vegas casino laboratory
• Turn alone time into the ultimate happiness hack, from artisanal coffee-making Benedictine monks
• Reignite your exploration gene for a more exciting and fulfilling life, from an astronaut onboard the International Space Station
• Reframe how we think about and fix addiction and bad habits, from Iraq’s chief psychiatrist
• 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.
You may also enjoy...
-
The Comfort Crisis
- Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
- Written by: Michael Easter
- Narrated by: Michael Easter
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In many ways, we’re more comfortable than ever before. But could our sheltered, temperature-controlled, overfed, underchallenged lives actually be the leading cause of many our most urgent physical and mental health issues? In this gripping investigation, award-winning journalist Michael Easter seeks out off-the-grid visionaries, disruptive genius researchers, and mind-body conditioning trailblazers who are unlocking the life-enhancing secrets of a counterintuitive solution: discomfort.
-
-
Interesting
- By JoeCar on 2021-12-08
Written by: Michael Easter
-
Master of Change
- How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You
- Written by: Brad Stulberg
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From social disruptions like economic recessions, pandemics, and new technologies to individual disruptions like getting married or divorced, illness and injury, career transitions, and becoming a parent, we undergo change and transformation—both good and bad—regularly. Change is not the exception. It’s the rule. Yet we endlessly fight it, often viewing it as a threat to our stability and sense of self.
-
-
Rolling with the Punches
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-08
Written by: Brad Stulberg
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- Written by: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Didn’t finish
- By S on 2023-12-18
Written by: Adam Grant
-
Same as Ever
- A Guide to What Never Changes
- Written by: Morgan Housel
- Narrated by: Chris Hill
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every investment plan under the sun is, at best, an informed speculation of what may happen in the future, based on a systematic extrapolation from the known past. Same as Ever reverses the process, inviting us to identify the many things that never, ever change. With his usual elan, Morgan Housel presents a master class on optimizing risk, seizing opportunity, and living your best life. Through a sequence of engaging stories and pithy examples, he shows how we can use our newfound grasp of the unchanging to see around corners.
-
-
Captivating Perspective
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-27
Written by: Morgan Housel
-
The Practice of Groundedness
- A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds - Not Crushes - Your Soul
- Written by: Brad Stulberg
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Achievement often comes at a cost. Angst, restlessness, frayed relationships, exhaustion, and even substance abuse can be the unwanted side effects of an obsession with outward performance. While the high of occasional wins can keep you going for a while, playing into the always-on, never enough hustle culture ultimately takes a serious toll.
-
-
good but doesn’t stand out
- By Sarah on 2024-01-16
Written by: Brad Stulberg
-
Forever Strong
- A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well
- Written by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
- Narrated by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of watching patients cycle through her practice, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon noticed a pattern. While her patients struggled with a wide range of conditions, they all suffered from the same core problem: they had too little muscle rather than too much fat.
-
-
the poor reading style with crazed inflection mid sentence for no reason
- By valeri on 2024-02-23
Written by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
-
The Comfort Crisis
- Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
- Written by: Michael Easter
- Narrated by: Michael Easter
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In many ways, we’re more comfortable than ever before. But could our sheltered, temperature-controlled, overfed, underchallenged lives actually be the leading cause of many our most urgent physical and mental health issues? In this gripping investigation, award-winning journalist Michael Easter seeks out off-the-grid visionaries, disruptive genius researchers, and mind-body conditioning trailblazers who are unlocking the life-enhancing secrets of a counterintuitive solution: discomfort.
-
-
Interesting
- By JoeCar on 2021-12-08
Written by: Michael Easter
-
Master of Change
- How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You
- Written by: Brad Stulberg
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From social disruptions like economic recessions, pandemics, and new technologies to individual disruptions like getting married or divorced, illness and injury, career transitions, and becoming a parent, we undergo change and transformation—both good and bad—regularly. Change is not the exception. It’s the rule. Yet we endlessly fight it, often viewing it as a threat to our stability and sense of self.
-
-
Rolling with the Punches
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-08
Written by: Brad Stulberg
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- Written by: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Didn’t finish
- By S on 2023-12-18
Written by: Adam Grant
-
Same as Ever
- A Guide to What Never Changes
- Written by: Morgan Housel
- Narrated by: Chris Hill
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every investment plan under the sun is, at best, an informed speculation of what may happen in the future, based on a systematic extrapolation from the known past. Same as Ever reverses the process, inviting us to identify the many things that never, ever change. With his usual elan, Morgan Housel presents a master class on optimizing risk, seizing opportunity, and living your best life. Through a sequence of engaging stories and pithy examples, he shows how we can use our newfound grasp of the unchanging to see around corners.
-
-
Captivating Perspective
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-11-27
Written by: Morgan Housel
-
The Practice of Groundedness
- A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds - Not Crushes - Your Soul
- Written by: Brad Stulberg
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Achievement often comes at a cost. Angst, restlessness, frayed relationships, exhaustion, and even substance abuse can be the unwanted side effects of an obsession with outward performance. While the high of occasional wins can keep you going for a while, playing into the always-on, never enough hustle culture ultimately takes a serious toll.
-
-
good but doesn’t stand out
- By Sarah on 2024-01-16
Written by: Brad Stulberg
-
Forever Strong
- A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well
- Written by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
- Narrated by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of watching patients cycle through her practice, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon noticed a pattern. While her patients struggled with a wide range of conditions, they all suffered from the same core problem: they had too little muscle rather than too much fat.
-
-
the poor reading style with crazed inflection mid sentence for no reason
- By valeri on 2024-02-23
Written by: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
-
Clear Thinking
- Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
- Written by: Shane Parrish
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Shane Parrish
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You might believe you’re thinking clearly in the moments that matter most. But in all likelihood, when the pressure is on, you won’t be thinking at all. And your subsequent actions will inevitably move you further from the results you ultimately seek—love, belonging, success, wealth, victory. According to Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish, we must get better at recognizing these opportunities for what they are, and deploying our cognitive ability in order to achieve the life we want.
-
-
A Book About Stoicism
- By Jezel on 2023-12-12
Written by: Shane Parrish
-
The Art of the Interesting
- What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It
- Written by: Lorraine Besser PhD
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you know anyone who's truly living The Good Life? Traditionally, philosophers and psychologists have thought of the Good Life in terms of happiness or meaning, or some combination of both. But, if it’s really that simple, if all you need is more happiness or meaning to get to the Good Life, why aren’t more of us achieving that truly “good” life? You’ve hit all the traditional markers, jumped on the happiness train, committed to a gratitude practice, sought purpose in your work, and yet The Good Life you’re seeking, is still out of reach.
Written by: Lorraine Besser PhD
-
Be Useful
- Seven Tools for Life
- Written by: Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Narrated by: Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world’s greatest bodybuilder. The world’s highest-paid movie star. The leader of the world’s sixth-largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke, but this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident. Arnold’s stratospheric success happened as part of a process. As the result of clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back. All of it guided by the one lesson Arnold’s father hammered into him above all: be useful.
-
-
More than just being useful
- By Fizzlewit's Fairy Finding on 2024-01-17
Written by: Arnold Schwarzenegger
-
Outlive
- The Science and Art of Longevity
- Written by: Peter Attia MD, Bill Gifford - contributor
- Narrated by: Peter Attia MD
- Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.
-
-
Not what I was expecting
- By stuck in Mobay on 2023-07-20
Written by: Peter Attia MD, and others
-
Built to Move
- The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully
- Written by: Kelly Starrett, Juliet Starrett
- Narrated by: Kelly Starrett, Juliet Starrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After devoting years to working with pro-athletes, Olympians, and Navy Seals, fitness gurus Kelly and Juliet Starrett began thinking about the physical well-being of people who are not elite athletes. What are the fundamental qualities that make a human being durable, and how do we ensure that we continue to feel great as we age? Organized around ten assessments and ten physical practices that anyone can do, Built to Move is designed to improve the way your body functions in daily activities and boost overall quality of life.
-
-
Amazing book for your health
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-10-02
Written by: Kelly Starrett, and others
-
Dopamine Nation
- Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
- Written by: Dr. Anna Lembke
- Narrated by: Dr. Anna Lembke
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting....
-
-
I listened to this audiobook on 1.4 X speed
- By JMS on 2021-09-09
Written by: Dr. Anna Lembke
What the critics say
“This book is for anyone desperate to break the cycle of doom scrolling, constant cravings, and the relentless drive for more—more validation, more sugar, more money, more stuff. Scarcity Brain reveals the biological and evolutionary foundations behind your brain’s fixations, so you can stop seeking and start living.” —Melissa Urban, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Boundaries
“Michael Easter brings to light that our challenges with behavior change can be better understood—and conquered—if we know how driven we are by our scarcity mindset. With deep science-backed insights, personal stories, practical guidance, and a relatable approach, Easter’s book is for anyone interested in embarking on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment with the goal of living a healthier, more satisfying, and actualized life.” —Juliet Starrett & Dr. Kelly Starrett, New York Times bestselling authors of Built to Move
“Michael Easter illuminates how humans are hardwired to seek more, even when our reward-seeking behaviors become at odds with our well-being. His vulnerable weaving of his own personal experiences alongside cutting edge research and current events compel you to examine your own life and patterns. Consider this engaging read a mandate to get curious, a more effective tool for meaningful, positive, lasting change than shame or judgement, the traditional tools of the trade.” —Liz Plosser, editor in chief of Women’s Health
What listeners say about Scarcity Brain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Noah
- 2024-09-27
Long and Self Congragulatory
With enough effort you can get some interesting information from this audiobook but it requires tedious listening to the authors irrelevant navel gazing. Reads more like a series of diary entries than a synthesis of expert research into a thesis on the skill of learning to live with enough.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles E Sutton JR
- 2023-10-28
Good read
It started off a little bit difficult to follow, or should I say stay engaged. About a quarter of the way through it started becoming very interesting and insightful. I would most highly recommend as I think it might offer some insight for many people. It was fortuitous for me as a friend of mine is suffering from a severe addiction to opioids. It’s been difficult for me to understand his plight, but now have some insight.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julia Pinheiro
- 2023-10-11
Boring
One of the borest books I’ve listened. A lot of research talking, but no practice. I’ve put expectations while waiting for the release, but it was disappointing. I’m struggling to finish it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan Millar
- 2024-02-24
A Brilliant Book
I learned more about being human here than anything else I've read. Michael leads us on his own search from Afghanistan to a Monestary of Benedictine monks; from the findings of scientists looking for fossils on Ellesmere Island in Canada's far north to the lives of remote indigenous people in Bolivia - all in a search to understand the scarcity brain and to find where happiness does and does not lie. Don't miss this book if you are curious about human nature. Om going to read it again soon.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Channing
- 2023-10-12
Great Read
A breath of fresh air, I found a few books on Buddhism gave me similar insite on attachment and craving. Makes you take a step back and recalibrate. I'll be reading more from Easter!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tim Newkirk
- 2024-12-17
Another Banger from Easter
Loved this booked. Always love how Easter has science backed, real life facts that take you back to the land before time. I could listen all day. Check out his other books too. Just as good.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!