{"id":22458,"date":"2025-06-29T22:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T22:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/?p=22458"},"modified":"2026-03-30T03:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:02:09","slug":"slat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2025\/06\/29\/slat\/","title":{"rendered":"Scarcity loop awareness thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Step 1: AWARENESS<\/h3>

Recognize when you're in a scarcity loop triggered by modern behaviors.\n<\/h5><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Michael Easter shares his ideas of\u00a0 “scarcity loop awareness”<\/strong> in his book Scarcity Brain.<\/em> He explores how modern life hijacks our modern day survival instincts using the lens of ancient wisdom. The scarcity loop<\/strong> is a psychological pattern that drives compulsive behavior, and awareness of it is key to breaking free from unhealthy habits.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Chasing the Scarcity Loop: A Spark I Didn\u2019t See Coming<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s been a hot minute since something outside of family and triathlon lit my brain on fire. But here I am, tumbling down a rabbit hole I didn\u2019t expect\u2014thanks to Michael Easter and his maddeningly compelling concept of the scarcity loop<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>

Let me be clear: I don\u2019t love Easter\u2019s storytelling. His sources and style don\u2019t exactly vibe with how my dyslexic brain prefers to process information. And yet\u2026 I can\u2019t look away. There\u2019s something in his work that\u2019s poking at a deeper truth I\u2019ve been circling for a while.<\/span><\/p>

The scarcity loop, as Easter lays it out in Scarcity Brain<\/em>, is a three-part cycle that explains why we get hooked on things\u2014scrolling, snacking, shopping, you name it. It\u2019s built on:<\/span><\/p>

  1. Opportunity<\/strong> \u2013 the chance to get something valuable.<\/span><\/li>
  2. Unpredictable Rewards<\/strong> \u2013 you don\u2019t know when or how much you\u2019ll get.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Quick Repeatability<\/strong> \u2013 you can do it again. Instantly.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    This loop evolved to help humans survive in environments where food and resources were scarce and unpredictable. But in today\u2019s world of abundance, it\u2019s being hijacked\u2014by social media, by e-commerce, by the very systems we interact with daily (mostly from a tool base associated with technology). And suddenly, I\u2019m seeing it everywhere: in my habits, my distractions, even my motivations.<\/span><\/p>

    Here\u2019s the kicker: I don\u2019t have time for this. I\u2019ve got a full plate,\u00a0 a family I love, a hobby and training and stresses of or associated with work. But maybe it’s just the friction I need. Maybe this discomfort is the signal\u2014not the noise.<\/span><\/p>

    What\u2019s frustrating is how deeply this loop seems imprinted in our DNA. It\u2019s ancient wisdom, once essential for survival, now weaponized by industries that thrive on our undisciplined compulsions. And yet, Easter argues that awareness<\/i>\u00a0the first step. Recognizing the loop is how we begin to break free.<\/span><\/p>

    So yeah, I\u2019m chasing the rabbit. I don\u2019t know where it leads, but I\u2019m curious enough to find out. And maybe that curiosity\u2014tempered with awareness\u2014is the beginning of something better.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Cited examples by Easter include:<\/span><\/p>

    • Social media scrolling<\/span><\/li>
    • Online shopping<\/span><\/li>
    • Gambling or gaming<\/span><\/li>
    • Overeating or binge-watching<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

      By identifying the behaviors and environments that activate these loops, you can begin to disrupt them.<\/span><\/p>

      Easter states: One reason we like escaping into the scarcity loop is that there is no uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing uncertainty in it.\u00a0\u00a0In the human brain, less equals bad, worse, unproductive. More equals good, better, productive. Our scarcity brain defaults to more and rarely considers less.<\/span><\/p>

      Becoming present, awakening, and ultimately gaining awareness of the scarcity loop is a powerful key to personal growth. Recognizing the triggers\u2014whether they stem from the full cycle or just parts of it: Opportunity \u2192 Unpredictable Rewards \u2192 Quick Repeatability<\/strong>\u2014is essential. Understanding what fuels these triggers\u2014be it human psychology, the pressures of modern life, ingrained habits, or external changes beyond our control\u2014becomes an internal call to action.<\/span><\/p>

      For me, I align this awareness with my affinity for Stoicism. I use principles from Stoicism to ground myself, keeping both my head and feet firmly in the same place\u2014fully present\u2014so that awareness is more consistently accessible.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

      \n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Where does one start?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

      Start by observing your own patterns. Where do you see the scarcity loop showing up in your life? What triggers your need for quick rewards or constant opportunity-seeking? Take a moment today to pause, breathe, and bring your awareness to the present. That\u2019s where real change begins.\u00a0 It’s basically focused shadow work!\u00a0 ha!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Step 1: AWARENESS Recognize when you’re in a scarcity loop triggered by modern behaviors. Michael Easter shares his ideas of\u00a0 “scarcity loop awareness” in his book Scarcity Brain. He explores how modern life hijacks our modern day survival instincts using […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[440,442,816,817],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zentriathlete-neurodiversity","category-neurotype-adhd-asd","category-nd-fl","category-prnci"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22458"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24993,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22458\/revisions\/24993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}