What is the underlying factor that drives humans to engage in behaviors that are damaging? Whether it’s gambling, drinking, or eating to excess, it’s not uncommon in our society for folks to get sucked into repetitive, detrimental habits. It turns out, there’s an evolutionary foundation behind this behavior, and it’s the topic of the new book, The Scarcity Brain. Today’s guest, Michael Easter is a professor and the author of The Comfort Crisis and The Scarcity Brain. His work encompasses the idea of utilizing modern science and evolutionary wisdom in order to lead healthier, more fulfilled lives. He joins this episode of The Model Health Show to share the fascinating science of scarcity, moderation, fixation, and happiness. You’re going to learn about the scarcity loop and how it drives us to repeat unhealthy habits. We’ll talk about the psychology of gambling, overeating, excessive screen time, and so much more. If you want to break the cycle of constantly craving more, this interview will help you create meaningful change. I hope you enjoy this interview with Michael Easter! In this episode you’ll discover: The interesting ways our society has removed discomfort from our daily lives. Why there’s an evolutionary mismatch between our drive and our environment. What scarcity brain means. Why moderation is so difficult for most folks. What we can learn about human drive from slot machines. Three main components of a behavior loop. Examples of the scarcity loop in our modern world. The psychology of gambling. What pigeon studies on gambling can teach us about stimulation. How the theory of optimal stimulation explains addiction. Why slot machines became more popular after a few simple tweaks. How humans evolved to overeat. The fascinating history of snacking. Three v’s of a popular snack. Why ultra-processed foods are easier to overeat. Three ways to fix your craving mindset. How scarcity cues can impact our behavior. The internal cues that prompt us to pick up our phones. How boredom can enhance creativity. Items mentioned in this episode include: Organifi.com/Model  -- Use the coupon code MODEL for 20% off + free shipping! Foursigmatic.com/model -- Get an exclusive discount on your daily health elixirs! Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter Connect with Michael Easter Website / Newsletter / Instagram Join TMHS Facebook community - Model Nation  Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Soundcloud   Thanks to our Sponsors! This episode is brought to you by Organifi. Today, more than ever, because of all the stress inputs and how our bodies are processing the data that we're being exposed to, we very often need a little bit of a support. That's where the term supplement should come in at. Supplements should not replace an already healthy diet. It should supplement, it should fill in minor gaps. It should help us to be able to go above and beyond so that we're running on all cylinders. Now, we've existed recently in recent generations in the paradigm of the "multivitamin", and the data is now pointing to the fact that there is a very big difference in synthetic versions of vitamins versus real whole food versions of those same vitamins. Just because the the chemical equation is the same does not mean that it's impacting our health the same way. Take for example, essential nutrient vitamin E. This nutrient is important for healthy function of your cardiovascular system, cognitive performance, and even the health of your skin. Well, the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that natural food-based vitamin E, has nearly twice the bioavailability of synthetic vitamin E. So again, the data is now becoming more and more clear. Just because we get a "multivitamin" that has these synthetic versions of these essential nutrients, does not mean that our cells can actually utilize it. So when we