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In this episode, I welcome back Michael Easter, a bestselling author and esteemed professor. Michael shares what the Scarcity Loop is and how to move towards more intentional thinking and decision making. We discuss the detrimental effects comfort can have on our health, the mechanics behind addictive behaviors, and strategies for self-regulation in an increasingly addictive digital landscape. This is a great episode to heighten awareness around our everyday habits and what ways we could be more intentional moving forward. Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain, to be released in September 2023, and a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. When he's not writing and traveling for his books, he writes the weekly 2% Newsletter.  —Newsletter: https://unique-painter-9003.ck.page/441934d2f0 —Website: http://eastermichael.com If you want to dive deeper into Mark’s content, search through every episode, find specific topics we’ve covered, and ask him questions, go to his Dexa page: https://dexa.ai/markgroves Themes: Authenticity, Boundaries, Self-Worth, Self-Love, Health, Dating, Transformation, Conflict, Mental Health, Purpose, Scarcity, Addiction, Addictive Behavior, Self-Regulation 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:11 Observing Human Behavior and Overconsumption in Las Vegas 0:09:24 The Scarcity Loop: Unpredictable Rewards and Repeatability 0:12:53 Pigeon Studies and the Attraction to the Scarcity Loop 0:16:31 Wired for Unpredictable Reward Games 0:19:42 Society's Acceptance of Harmful Behaviors and Minimizing their Impact 0:23:24 The Lack of Immediate Consequences for Excessive Social Media Use 0:26:57 Embracing the Discomfort of Interrupting the Loop 0:27:16 Changing Behaviors: The Challenge of Consciousness 0:29:32 The Impact of Time Spent on Digital Media 0:33:04 Lack of Exposure to Diverse Thought and Experience 0:36:04 The Art of Capturing Attention 0:40:01 Negativity bias in media and its impact on worldview 0:46:36 Monetizing Opportunity and Rewards in Dating Apps 0:49:56 Cravings and the Evolutionary Drive of Scarcity 0:53:08 Pigeons and their Surprising Gambling Choices 0:54:44 The Need for Stimulation and Optimal Stimulation Theory 1:03:31 Anthropologists and Human Behavior 1:07:24 Realizing the Short-Term Benefits and Long-Term Consequences This episode is sponsored by Organifi: Use code CREATETHELOVE for 20% off sitewide at http://www.organifi.com/createthelove Contact us at podcast@markgroves.com for sponsor product support, questions, comments, or just to say hello! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices