Favorite Quote: Because here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how much gas we give good new habits; if we don’t resolve our bad ones, we still have our foot on the brake.

Synopsis: Scarcity Brain is the companion book we never knew we needed. While so many books discuss how to build good habits, few books dive into why we have bad habits in the first place. Scarcity Brain gives you insight into the scarcity loop. Easter investigates how our scarcity mindset causes us to overindulge in food, booze, gambling, exercise, perfectionism, work, etc. From Baghdad to Bolivia, Easter’s quests help provide context on the neuroscientific reasons why we behave the way we do. He also explores the emotional and mental drivers that keep us in the scarcity loop, perpetuating and sometimes exacerbating unpleasant (even harmful) actions.

After I read The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, I was utterly delighted to get the ARC for Scarcity Brain. Easter has a way of writing that connects the reader to his topic and the people he interviews. Throughout the book, I learned new things, but most importantly, I found insight into why I can’t seem to shake some of my less desirable habits. Easter is no stranger to walking the walk by putting himself into highly stressful situations to get answers. He also presents information in a way that, naturally, makes his point, but he’s also clear about arguments and counterpoints to his perspective. Each story and anecdote is carefully woven in each chapter so you have a complete picture when you reach the end. If you’ve ever read a book about building habits (Atomic Habits by James Clear, Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg), you should definitely read Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter.

Glorified memoir packaged as a self help book. Slog to get through - reading a scientific article about the psychology behind scarcity perception would’ve been more interesting and informative.

Really well written self help book! Great advice written in an easy to comprehend and retain format. Loved it!

This interesting book provided a lot of information about the scarcity loop, which I was previously unfamiliar with. I did think it started off a little slow, but once I got past the introduction, I enjoyed it.