Like many things in today's world, this journey began with an episode of the Peter Attia podcast.
In this episode, our nation's most impressive doctor interviewed a guest I initially thought was not particularly relevant to my own life. He was a young, strikingly handsome writer promoting his new book. However, the title of the episode caught my attention enough to make me click.
“The Comfort Crisis”
What an astonishing phrase! It succinctly encapsulates the essence of the Mustachian philosophy I’ve been trying to articulate for over a decade.
While the media persistently reports on our nation’s personal debt crisis, health crisis, and various issues that imply life is increasingly challenging, I have always perceived the opposite: generally, Americans seem to struggle with excessive indulgence and comfort, and our main issue lies in our failure to recognize it and the adverse effects it has on us.
Naturally, I had to click, listen to the entire two-hour episode, purchase the book, and subsequently spend the last month reading and reflecting on it in digestible segments, as if it contained modern wisdom akin to scripture. I’m truly glad I did.
The author, Michael Easter, is a former writer for Men’s Health magazine who also had a severe alcohol addiction and comes from a long line of relatives with similar struggles.
He was fortunate enough to recognize his path in time to reclaim his life, and that story alone makes the book worthwhile for anyone who has felt helpless while watching loved ones battle addiction. His experiences with overindulgence also provide him with valuable insights regarding the conflict between comfort and hardship in broader life contexts.
So, what is The Comfort Crisis about, and how can it enhance our lives?
The most compelling aspect of this book is simply how skilled a writer Easter is. Like many enjoyable popular science books, it employs a dual narrative that alternates between recounting an extraordinarily challenging caribou hunting expedition in a remote part of Alaska and integrating pertinent scientific, psychological, and cultural observations that help elucidate and learn from each chapter of his remarkable ordeal. This structure allows us to reflect on and apply the lessons in our own lives.
For instance, have you ever pondered why the bored, affluent suburbanites on your local Homeowner Association board, who complain about overgrown weeds or unauthorized skateboarding on Nextdoor, can be so exasperating?
Why can’t they engage in more meaningful activities?
It turns out there’s a scientific rationale behind these unfortunate individuals, as well as many of our societal issues:
Humans inherently scan their surroundings for problems, even in seemingly safe and ideal environments.
The book references a study where researchers instructed participants to seek out danger in an environment that gradually became more secure:
“When they ran out of things to find, they began looking for a broader range of issues, even if this was not conscious or intentional, because their task was to identify threats.”
“Given this context, Levari carried out multiple studies to determine if the human brain continues to search for problems even when they are rare or absent.”
“As we encounter fewer problems, we don’t become more content. We merely decrease our threshold for what constitutes a problem.”
In essence, even when our lives are almost devoid of issues, rather than savoring our good fortune, we start fabricating complaints instead.
This leads our politicians to listen intently and create policies to address our mostly trivial concerns. They manufacture their own minor “wedge” issues to stir discord among us regarding our diverse cultures and religions, suddenly making us care about matters that would not have even been perceived as problems had nobody brought them up.
This encapsulates America’s vulnerability, while our strength lies in the moments we refrain from lowering ourselves to such trivialities.
Conversely, those who endure harsher environments often emerge more resilient and less prone to whining.
In several recent interviews, Ukrainians living in war zones were asked, “Is it safe where you live?” A surprisingly high percentage responded “Yes”—similar to responses from U.S. residents when asked the same question about their own cities.
This adaptation principle also clarifies why first-generation immigrants frequently build businesses and accumulate wealth, while their second and third-generation children often become complacent and spend it away. As an immigrant myself, I relate to this: conditions were just slightly harsher and less comfortable where I grew up, making those circumstances feel normal, which then made the United States appear luxurious and easy by comparison. This perspective facilitated my ability to spend less and save more.
**Tree Therapy**
The trap of unnecessary worry is just one of the many insights shared in The Comfort Crisis. It also provides noteworthy explanations for why spending time in nature enhances our mental and physical well-being, contrasted with the exhausting effects of cubicles and commutes.
Our biology responds vigorously to everything natural in ways we can’t replicate elsewhere.
Even placing a single plant in a hospital room significantly improves recovery for nearly all patients with various ailments. Imagine the healing power of being immersed in a lush, living
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The Crisis of Comfort