Bingeing, Escapism & Modern Addictions - Michael Easter | Modern Wisdom 690

The video is about the concept of moderation and how it is difficult to achieve in today's world. The host, Michael Easter, explains that humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status. He argues that the abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior. Easter also discusses the concept of the "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation. He uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate this concept.

This video by Chris Williamson was published on Oct 7, 2023.
Video length: 01:12:09.

The video is about the concept of moderation and how it is difficult to achieve in today's world.

The host, Michael Easter, explains that humans have evolved to crave abundance, as we have an abundance of food, information, and other things that we need to survive. However, this craving for abundance can lead to overindulgence and addiction. Easter discusses how technology has allowed us to gain insights into what drives people and hooks them on behaviors that push them into more. He also talks about a three-part behavior loop called the scarcity loop, which is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

Easter uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate how this loop works.

* Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status. * The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior. * The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world. * The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation. * Opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability are the three parts of the scarcity loop. * The abundance of food has led to an addiction to it. * Social media, personal finance, sports betting, dating apps, and education are all examples of the scarcity loop in modern life. * The scarcity loop is inherent in many technologies and institutions that influence our life today. * Gambling is an example of the scarcity loop, as it is inh

Bingeing, Escapism & Modern Addictions - Michael Easter | Modern Wisdom 690 - YouTube

The Concept of Moderation

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The host, Michael Easter, explains that the difference is that today we have an abundance of all these things that we're sort of built to Crave if you will and um we still have our old our old genes that push us into more so because we existed for almost all of human history with less than we wanted less than we needed we have seen everything as being a fleeting brief amount of abundance in an ocean of scarcity we should take it advantage of.

The Scarcity Loop

• The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• The host uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate this concept.
• The slot machines are everywhere and people play them around the clock.
• The host explains that these things are freaking everywhere and people play them around the clock.
• The host explains that the scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

The Abundance of Things

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The host explains that the difference is that today we have an abundance of all these things that we're sort of built to Crave if you will and um we still have our old our old genes that push us into more so because we existed for almost all of human history with less than we wanted less than we needed we have seen everything as being a fleeting brief amount of abundance in an ocean of scarcity we should take it advantage of.

Bingeing, Escapism & Modern Addictions - Michael Easter | Modern Wisdom 690 - YouTube

The Abundance of Food

• In the past, food was hard to find and people would eat as much as possible when they had the opportunity.
• Today, people have an abundance of food and still eat as much as possible.
• Some tribes still have this behavior where they eat until they throw up and then eat more.
• The abundance of food has led to an addiction to it.
• The host explains that the difference is that today we have an abundance of all these things that we're sort of built to Crave if you will and um we still have our old our old genes that push us into more so because we existed for almost all of human history with less than we wanted less than we needed we have seen everything as being a fleeting brief amount of abundance in an ocean of scarcity we should take it advantage of.

The Concept of Moderation

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

The Scarcity Loop

• The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• Opportunity: You have an opportunity to get something of value in the case of a slot machine, it's money.
• Unpredictable rewards: You know you'll get that thing of value eventually but you don't know when and you don't know how valuable it's going to be.
• Quick repeatability: With the case of slot machines, the average slot machine player plays 16 games in a minute which is about as much as we blink now.
• The scarcity loop is inherent in tons of the Technologies and even institutions that influence our life today.

Social Media and Personal Finance

• Social media has been embedded in a lot of personal finance apps like Robin Hood.
• It's part of the rise of sports betting.
• It is what makes dating apps so enthralling.
• It's in our education.
• It's in our food system.

The Scarcity Loop in Gambling

• The scarcity loop is inherent in tons of the Technologies and even institutions that influence our life today.
• It's inh enthralling to humans it's the definition of what makes a interesting game and it can provide a fun escape.
• Even though there isn't a scarcity, it pushes us Beyond moderation.
• It's inh enthralling to humans it's the definition of what makes a interesting game and it can provide a fun escape.
• It's the key to understanding why people gamble to excess.

The Concept of Moderation

• The host, Michael Easter, explains that humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The host argues that the abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.

The Scarcity Loop

• The host discusses the concept of the "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• The host uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate this concept.
• The first part of the loop is the anticipation of the reward.
• The second part of the loop is the actual reward.
• The third part of the loop is the anticipation of the next reward.

The Addiction to Unpredictable Rewards

• The host explains that animals get really hooked on unpredictable rewards.
• Skinner had been feeding rats treats at a predictable interval and he started running out of treats.
• Skinner decided to give these rats the treats unpredictably like he'll just give them every now and then.
• The rats got totally enthralled in hitting the lever if they didn't know when they were going to get a treat.

The Turning Point

• The host explains that the opposite happened when the rats were given unpredictable rewards.
• The rats got totally enthralled in hitting the lever if they didn't know when they were going to get a treat.
• The host found that 97% of pigeons chose the unpredictable reward game over the game that got them more food overall.
• The host thinks that this behavior tracks back to finding food.

Section 1: The Concept of Moderation

• The host, Michael Easter, explains that humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The host argues that the abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The host uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate the concept of the "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

Section 2: The Scarcity Loop

• The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• The first part of the loop is the desire for the scarce thing, such as food, information, or status.
• The second part of the loop is the pursuit of the scarce thing, which often leads to compulsive behavior.
• The third part of the loop is the escape from the pursuit of the scarce thing, which provides temporary relief from the compulsive behavior.

Section 3: Social Media, Email, and News

• Social media, email, and news are all examples of things that are scarce and that humans crave.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The scarcity loop is evident in these things, as people pursue them compulsively and then escape from the pursuit.

Section 4: The Role of Humans in the Scarcity Loop

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The scarcity loop is a behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• The host argues that the abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.

The Concept of Moderation

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation, is a key factor in this addiction.

The Scarcity Loop

• The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• It is a key factor in the addiction to things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The first part of the loop is the desire for the scarce thing.
• The second part is the pursuit of the scarce thing.
• The third part is the attainment of the scarce thing, which leads to a feeling of satisfaction and a desire for more.

Compulsive Behaviors and Flow

• Researchers talk to compulsive slot machine players and they get annoyed when they win a lot of money.
• This is because winning a lot of money on a slot machine goes ballistic and interrupts the process.
• Captagon is a drug that was not super well known a few years ago and is now effectively overtaken the Middle East.
• It is an amphetamine that is like a low-grade meth and is used to treat ADHD and depression.

Addiction and the Scarcity Loop

• Addiction is a behavior that you consistently repeat and provide you a benefit in the short term while giving long-term benefits effectively or long-term detriments.
• Overusing the scarcity loop can become an addiction.
• Iraq is an interesting country to study addiction because it didn't exist for a long time.
• Saddam ruled with an Iron Fist and once Iraq falls after the US invades it, a lot of people have problems and trauma from the war.

The Concept of Addiction as a Brain Disease

• Addiction was positioned as a brain disease in the mid-90s due to the popularity of neuroscience and brain scans.
• Neuroscientists found that addicts' brains had no activity in their liking system, but still pumped out high levels of dopamine, leading to the argument that it's a brain disease.
• Addiction is seen as a symptom of a larger problem, typically involving a population or a person who has problems, a substance that can relieve those problems, and no other means of fixing them beyond that substance.
• Examples like Operation Golden Flow in Vietnam, where 25% of soldiers were addicted to heroin, show that addiction is not impossible to get over.
• The reality is that the vast majority of these soldiers produced clean urine and made it back home, with very few relapsing after they returned.

The Complexity of Addiction

• Addiction is a complex issue that involves behavior and conditions, as well as the environment and other factors.
• Soft addictions, such as using drugs to relieve stress or going on one's phone to escape emotions, can also be considered addictive behaviors.
• The line between compulsion, dependency, and addiction can become blurred when a person reaches for a substance or stimulus to solve a problem.
• People may look at a drug addict and think it doesn't make sense, but the reality is that using a substance can provide a short-term fix for a problem.
• The problem is that the short-term fix can create long-term problems for the individual.

The Concept of Moderation

• Humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The concept of moderation is difficult to achieve in today's world.
• The "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation, is a concept that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

The Scarcity Loop

• The scarcity loop is a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.
• The first part of the loop is the desire for the scarce thing, such as food, information, or status.
• The second part of the loop is the pursuit of the scarce thing, which often leads to overindulgence.
• The third part of the loop is the realization that the behavior is harmful and the need to start over.

The Example of Slot Machines

• The concept of the scarcity loop can be illustrated using the example of slot machines in Las Vegas.
• The desire for the scarce thing in this case is the potential for a big win on the slot machine.
• The pursuit of the scarce thing leads to overindulgence, as people continue to play the slot machine in the hopes of winning.
• The realization that the behavior is harmful comes when people realize that they have spent too much money and need to start over.

The Problem of Addiction

• Addiction wouldn't be a problem if a person like Michael Easter went out and did something like volunteer and donate their time and money.
• The problem is that when people sort of zone out, like that, they tend to do behaviors that hurt not just them but society in the long haul.

Section 1: The Dating Market

• The speaker is discussing the concept of the dating market and how it has evolved.
• He argues that humans are species that have evolved to crave things that are scarce, such as food, information, and status.
• The abundance of these things in modern society has led to an addiction to them, making it hard to control our behavior.
• The speaker uses the example of slot machines in Las Vegas to illustrate the concept of the "scarcity loop," a three-part behavior loop that is unparalleled at pushing people out of moderation.

Watch the video on YouTube:
Bingeing, Escapism & Modern Addictions - Michael Easter | Modern Wisdom 690 - YouTube