Scarcity Brain & Quranic Psychology: How Behavioral Science and the Mind Fall into the Loop
What is Scarcity Brain?
Michael Easter explained this concept in his book Scarcity Brain.
''Scarcity Brain is a mental state in which we strongly focus on something we feel we lack.''
What Behavioral Studies Show:
Researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir studied Indian sugarcane farmers.
The farmers were tested before and after the harvest.
Before the harvest, they had less money and faced greater financial scarcity.
They performed worse on cognitive tests before the harvest than after it.
The study suggested that financial scarcity can reduce mental bandwidth and affect thinking.
The Original Scarcity Loop
In the Story of Adam (A.S.):
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:35
وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“And We said, ‘O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise, and eat freely from it wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you both be among the wrongdoers.’”
They were doing well in Paradise until Satan came.
He put a waswasah (whisper/temptation) in their minds:
Surah Al-Araf 7:20
فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰلِدِينَ
Then Satan tempted them in order to expose what was hidden of their nakedness. He said, “Your Lord has forbidden this tree to you only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals.”
This waswasah worked in a way that is similar to the scarcity-brain concept.
They already had Paradise, but Satan triggered the feeling that there was something they did not have: becoming angels or gaining everlasting life.
That feeling of “something is missing” captured their attention.
The result was that they did not perform well in the test and slipped, as the Qur’an mentions.
But we are ordinary human beings. So how can we overcome this?
Before searching for the answer, we need to understand one more piece of information
What is a Scarcity Loop?
A scarcity loop is a cycle in which feeling that something is lacking increases our focus on it, which makes us want it more and keeps the feeling of scarcity going.
When we are born, we do not know anything. As we grow up, we develop our own patterns.
Then, when we realize things and hold on to guidance, we may still fall into the same sins even while knowing that they are wrong.
This is why the scarcity loop can be triggered inside us again and again, and we keep falling.
But falling is not as dangerous as not getting back up.
Keep trying until Allah removes the loop, even if you die trying.
The goal is not to become someone who never falls.
The goal is to keep getting back up, keep seeking Allah’s guidance, and keep trying until the end.
If You Want to Know the Hidden Story of Light?
Read this article.
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