Michael Easter's Scarcity Brain explores how our brains, evolved for environments of scarcity, respond to abundance in the modern world. The book examines how this "scarcity mindset" drives addictive behaviors like gambling, overconsumption, and substance abuse, linking them to readily repeatable actions with unpredictable rewards. Easter investigates these loops through various case studies, including interviews with experts in fields like psychology, neuroscience, and addiction, exploring how technology and gamification exploit these inherent tendencies. Finally, the book offers potential solutions for managing these ingrained behaviors, including insights from monastic communities and the lifestyles of individuals who have found contentment in simpler ways of living.