Even in a movie theater, I was not interested in scenes where men and women made love, but my eyes would flash open and I would focus intently when a scene involving food came up.

Book Review "SCARCITY why having too little means so much"

Book Review  · 

At the recommendation of a friend, I purchased this book and was immediately drawn in by the preface. This is because deeply connected to my personal experiences.

The book introduces an extreme experiment where participants were subjected to extreme hunger and their reactions were observed. What was shocking was that the experience of extreme food deprivation in the experiment haunted them for one year, two years, and even for the rest of their lives. One participant recalls:

“Even in a movie theater, I was not interested in scenes where men and women made love, but my eyes would flash open and I would focus intently when a scene involving food came up.”

After realizing the significant impact of deprivation, I became curious about how my own complexes might be related to deprivation and how I could resolve them as soon as possible through this book. I have always had severe restrictions on my freedom since I was young, and perhaps because of the effects of that, I have been longing for freedom. If asked whether I found the answer to resolve them, the answer is NO. Unfortunately, the book’s response to the solution is “under research.” This is the reason why I deducted one star from my recommendation. Nevertheless, the book impressively highlights the importance of deprivation, especially mental deprivation, through numerous empirical evidences. In fact, the research results of this book have been mentioned in numerous self-development books as the concept of “scarcity mindset.” It has been a month since I finished reading the book, but I still remember the contents vividly and wanted to introduce some of the indirect information I read in the book or in other books. If you are interested, I highly recommend reading this book.

The reason why deprivation captures a person’s mind is that deprivation is a state that is important enough to deserve attention.

For example, when on a diet, food seems more tempting than usual, and when feeling lonely, one may become more concerned about others, as if their company is more important than before.

Deprivation has a great impact on our lives.

First,

since non-voluntary focus on deprivation captures our attention, it hinders our ability to concentrate on other tasks.

The book provides various empirical experimental data and experiential evidence to prove this proposition. For example, it tells a story about a father who went to his daughter’s baseball game but could not concentrate on the game because he was constantly thinking about an urgent task he had not been able to deal with. The book says that deprivation “blocks our most fundamental capabilities.” In addition, it mentions the research results that show that the decisions made by people who suffer from money problems are much worse than those made by people who are relatively free from money problems, and this can cause a more serious loss of cognitive ability than staying up all night. The book also deals with the problem of deprivation from social and organizational perspectives and discusses the solution, “looseness.” I tried to summarize it here, but I erased it. The core of this book is the various empirical and experiential evidence, and without them, the summary feels like an empty shell. I really recommend reading this book. If anyone knows a book similar to this one, please recommend it.

If I had to summarize this book in one word, it would be

“cognitive bandwidth.”

Our consciousness has limits, and the amount of bandwidth available to us at once, or in a day, is limited. Therefore, we need to eliminate any potential distractions that could impede our cognitive bandwidth. These efforts include developing habits, focusing, meditating, and creating a suitable environment. These are elements that are commonly mentioned and emphasized in various books. As you read this, you may feel how many distractions exist that could impede your cognitive bandwidth in your daily life. However, just having this new awareness can make a big difference in how you view your life. This may be the real taste of reading.

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