There’s a fine line between post-

traumatic stress and post-

traumatic growth

The scarcity loop no longer

keeps us alive, instead it pushes
toward short-term comforts

We can shift scarcity loops Epilogue

Scarcity cue = something that
into abundance loops fires on our scarcity mindset,
leading us to believe we don’t
Improving our lives requires have enough
short-term discomfort for long-
term achievement Introduction We’re always moving toward
more
Negative feelings have been
rising around the world Extinction = stopping of
unrewarding behavior
Happiness is the goal of all
human activity Losses disguised as wins =
winning less than your original
From 1975 to 1999, bet
Americans became 43%
wealthier (but no happier) Scarcity Loop = Opportunity -->
Unpredictable Rewards -->
More work doesn’t mean more Quick Repeatability
productivity Chapter 1: The Scarcity Loop

Chapter 11: Happiness Casino games return 87-98%

About 4 hours of creative work of every dollar wagered
per day is the limit
Casinos operate on about 7%
Meditation and prayer both margins
reduce stress and help us
control our emotions Falling into the scarcity loop can
be fun (even if you lose)
Things deliver a false and
fleeting happiness Dopamine is released when
we’re pursuing and anticipating
We all need to find meaning in receiving the pleasurable thing
our lives (not when we actually receive it)
Humans like to explore and We want a reward infinitely
discover the unknown Chapter 2: How the Scarcity
more if we aren’t sure we’re
Loop Hooks Us
Humans are informavores going to get it
(creatures that search for and If we don’t get the reward, we’re
digest information) wired to keep trying
DRD4-7R = gene linked to Social media
exploration and willingness to
take risks Email
We can now search for Shopping
information anywhere, anytime
Personal Finance
Benjamin Day started the first
newspaper in 1833 (the product Mobile Gaming
Chapter 3: Where the Scarcity
was the reader’s attention) Loop Lives Television
Sold his paper at a loss Health
believing he’d make money on
ad revenue with more readers Dating
and used negative stories to
attract attention Video Games

By the 2020s the average Gig Work

Chapter 10: Information
person spent between 11 and 13 News
hours per day consuming
information Sometimes removing things
is the right solution
40% of information is user
generated (YouTube, TikTok, In the human brain, less
podcasts) Chapter 4: Why We Crave More equals bad

💡 🔑 Information has diminishing When our needs aren’t met, we 💡🔑

💬
💡 💡
returns tend to gamble
We crave information, but we’d Captagon = pill ISIS fighters
prefer it be easy to get would take to kill fear before
It has hurt our ability to focus suicide missions

We’re offloaded some of our The Internet I had altered our Lots of WWII soldiers took
memory to the cloud brains amphetamines to increase
courage and boost morale
Changing our social interactions
(and increasing anxiety) Syria’s Captagon export is 45x
that of its entire legal export
Information online could be industry
factual or could be inaccurate
Addiction is often a function of
Having stuff can help us survive circumstances
and communicate social
importance The term “addiction” doesn’t
Chapter 5: Escape appear in the DSM-5
According to WSJ, Americans (psychology Bible)
spend $1.2 trillion annually on
things we don’t need One of the top reasons for
alcoholics to relapse is believing
The number of things we addiction is a disease (they
consider “necessities” instead of don’t have power to choose)
“luxuries” multiplies every
decade 18-29 year olds have the
highest substance abuse rates
The dog clothing industry is
projected to be worth $16.6 One of the best ways to break
billion in the couple of years the Scarcity Loop is to make a
big change
Action Item: Decide on
purchasing decisions within 60 In life, we must make decisions
Chapter 9: Stuff based on imperfect information
seconds (avoid finding
justification)
P.102 - “Games are a balm
When stuff is abundant, we tend for the confusion and anxiety of
to solve problems by buying real life.” - Thi Nguyen
more stuff
Chapter 6: Certainty Games thrust us into a
When resources are scarce, we Scarcity Loop and give us a
solve problems by being score
creative
Social media should be used
Gear has a clear purpose toward a goal (not just likes)
(helping us achieve a higher
purpose) Social status matters to us

Action Item: Collect gear, not One study found fights in coach
stuff increased 4x when there was a
first class cabin
In the U.S., cardiovascular
disease kills someone every 34 Scarcity Brain craves influence
seconds
70% of workers would prefer a
Cardiovascular disease kills better title than more money
more people than the 8 other
It’s better to be a big fish in a
top causes of death combined
small pond
We’re wired to crave rich,
Our drive for influence creates
calorie-dense foods
Chapter 7: Influence anxiety
One of the best ways not to
Authentic pride = the type of
overeat: pair plain staple foods
pride when feel good for
with some meat and vegetables
achieving something great
People who eat ultra Chapter 8: Food Hubristic pride = undeserved
processed foods tend to eat 2 types of pride pride that creates a drive for
about 500 calories more getting other people to
Once your brain gets used to appreciate us
eating ultra processed foods, it 40% of people who said they
doesn’t want to eat the other were “99% sure” were wrong
stuff
Action Item: Ask “do you want to
25% a lean protein (chicken, be right or happy?”
fish, couple of eggs, red meat)

25% vegetables (like cabbage)

Tsimane meals
50% unprocessed staple crops
(potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice,
quinoa, squash, corn, plantains)