I can’t stop scrolling. News article. TikTok about Taylor Swift. News article. Video from Gaza. A cute quiz about Fall fashion. Michael Easter would say I’m in what’s called a scarcity loop. The serial killer of moderation, this is a 3-step process of repeating behaviors that hurt us in the long run.
It goes like this: Opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and repeatability.
It’s like a slot machine, but in this case, the slot machine is my phone. You know you can get something of value, you know you’ll eventually get a reward if you keep trying, and oh boy can you play it over and over again.
Social media and Vegas gambling are just two examples of platforms that take advantage of the scarcity loop. In our society of overabundance, we are constantly craving more, more, more. Luckily, we had Michael Easter on the podcast this week to talk about fixing our craving mindset and rewiring our habits.
Easter says awareness of the loop is a great first step…and then it’s time to break it. Start with removing opportunity from your life…aka staying away from your personal addiction, in my case my phone. Next, take away the rewards. Easter recommends switching your phone to grayscale since our brains react greatly to color. Lastly, slow down the repeatability. Easter says if online shopping is your drug of choice, only buy new items if you can get them in person.
I am trying to let go of all the tracking in my life. Like wearing my Apple Watch and Oura ring less. I really enjoyed talking to Michael Easter about the scarcity brain, rewiring our habits, and why he needs to go to space. Listen to the podcast below:
