畅销书作家迈克尔·伊斯特在《稀缺大脑》中探讨了人类进化的背景，那个以食物稀缺、信息有限和物质匮乏为特征的时代。他对比了现代社会 abundance 和 comfort 的现状，以及这对我们的身心健康产生的深远影响。迈克尔提出了“稀缺循环”的概念，这是一个三部分的行为周期，有助于解释过度进食、成瘾、赌博和物质主义等现代挑战，并提供了实用的策略来打破这一循环。文章最后深入探讨了幸福，借鉴迈克尔与僧人的经历，强调了无聊、探索和不适作为提升意识、存在感和生活意志力的转化元素。

🌱 进化背景：人类在食物稀缺、信息有限和物质匮乏的时代形成了特定的生存策略，这些策略在现代社会中表现为过度进食、成瘾、赌博和物质主义等行为。

🔄 稀缺循环：迈克尔提出了一个三部分的行为周期，即感知稀缺、过度反应和后续的负面后果，这一循环解释了现代人类在面对 abundance 时为何会做出非理性的行为。

🧘‍♀️ 幸福的缺失：现代社会中，幸福感的普遍下降与我们对无聊、探索和不适的回避有关。迈克尔通过与僧人的交流，强调了这些元素在提升意识、存在感和生活意志力中的重要性。

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Bestselling author Michael Easter returns to The Drive to discuss his new book, Scarcity Brain. In this episode, Michael explores the evolutionary backdrop that molded human beings, a setting characterized by scarce food, limited information, and few possessions. He contrasts that with the modern era, marked by abundance and comfort, and the ensuing repercussions on our physical and mental well-being. Michael introduces the concept of the “scarcity loop,” a three-part behavior cycle which helps explain modern challenges such as overeating, addiction, gambling, and materialism, and offers practical strategies to break free from its cycle. The episode culminates in a thought-provoking exploration of happiness, drawing on Michael's experiences with monks and underscoring the value of boredom, exploration, and discomfort as transformative elements that elevate awareness, presence, and the will to live.

We discuss:

Inspiration for Michael’s latest book, Scarcity Brain [2:15]; Evolutionary adaptations to the scarcity of food contrasted with the modern obesity crisis [4:00]; Lessons learned about diet and nutrition from living with hunter-gatherers [9:30]; The impact of ultra-processed foods on energy balance [20:30]; Michael’s experience with attempting the hunter-gatherer diet at home [27:30]; The roots of excess: factors that contribute to overeating and the varied vulnerabilities among individuals [34:00]; The scarcity loop: how components of the scarcity loop are illustrated in gambling and addiction [39:45]; Using knowledge of the scarcity loop to break the cycle [50:45]; The evolutionary drive to acquire material possessions [58:15]; The benefits of boredom and value of exploration [1:07:00]; The consequences of an attention economy driven by negativity bias [1:16:30]; Navigating the world of endless information and the value in “slow information” [1:23:00]; Defining happiness, and the downward trend in reports of happiness [1:33:00]; Purpose, austerity, self-reliance and other missing elements of happiness gleaned from the study of monks [1:38:30]; The value in uncomfortable activities that increase your awareness, presence, and will to live [1:48:45]; and More.

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