Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough

by Michael Easter

Researchers from Yale say our extensive foot travels created an epic exploratory feedback loop. The more we explored, the more resources we could get, especially from food. The more resources we could get, the more we could fuel the development of our amazing brains. The more our amazing brains developed, the more we could figure out how to explore new territories. This might be why still today walking while paying open attention to the world can enhance creativity, concentration, and understanding. A recent study in Psychological Research discovered that a group who walked freely with their awareness on the open world scored significantly higher in a creativity and idea test than people who walked while focusing on their phones. Another study found that children who walked for twenty minutes improved their concentration and ability to understand complex information. The scientists wrote that unfocused walks could “support cognitive health and may be necessary for effective [brain] functioning across the lifespan.” Enhanced focus and creativity while walking might have helped us note important landmarks, dream up ways to go farther, and survive while exploring.