Why do poor people take payday loans with 400% interest? Why do busy executives make terrible decisions about their health? We often blame these behaviors on a lack of discipline or education. But behavioral economist Sendhil Mullainathan and psychologist Eldar Shafir propose a different, radical theory: Scarcity itself lowers your IQ. "e;The Scarcity Trap"e; explains that when your brain is obsessed with a lack of something whether it's money, time, or calories it "e;tunnels"e; on that immediate problem. This tunneling consumes massive amounts of cognitive bandwidth, effectively dropping your fluid intelligence by up to 13 points (equivalent to a night without sleep). This book explores how this "e;bandwidth tax"e; leads to a vicious cycle of bad decisions that perpetuate the scarcity. It moves the conversation from "e;character flaws"e; to "e;design flaws"e; in our environment and offers structural solutions for escaping the trap. Whether you are drowning in debt or drowning in work, the psychology is the same: your brain is processing a shortage, not a life.
