Is this book for you?
The Comfort Crisis
Read it if…
- You feel restless or flat even though life is comfortable on paper.
- You reach for your phone the second you're bored.
- You've wondered if cold showers, fasting or long walks are worth the hype.
- You like true adventure stories mixed with real science.
- You want one hard challenge to aim at this year.
Watch the summary
What the book is about
We are more comfortable than any humans who have ever lived. Our homes stay the same temperature, food is always close by, and there is a screen for every spare second. Michael Easter asks a simple question: what if all that comfort is quietly behind many of the health problems we now struggle with?
To find out, he heads into the remote Alaskan backcountry for a 33-day hunting trip, one of the last truly wild places left. Along the way he meets researchers and people who live differently, and builds a case that a little chosen discomfort makes us healthier, happier and harder to rattle.
What’s inside
Comfort creep The more comfortable life gets, the less discomfort we can handle. Small annoyances start to feel like big ones.
Make it really hard The misogi, an old Japanese practice reframed for today: one big challenge a year with two rules. Make it really hard, and don’t die.
Rediscover boredom Boredom isn’t the enemy. Easter argues it feeds creativity, and that time outside, without a screen, is good for the mind.
Feel hunger Most of us never feel properly hungry. Easter explores what we lose by never going without.
Think about death Reflecting on the end of life, daily, can push us to live more fully rather than fill us with dread.
Carry the load Our ancestors carried things for miles. Walking with weight is a simple way to bring that back.
Who wrote it
Michael Easter is the New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. He writes the Two Percent newsletter, one of the leading health and wellness newsletters on Substack, and is a contributing editor at Men’s Health. He is a former journalism professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he co-directed the Public Communications Institute.
What readers are saying
What they love: Readers say it’s gripping because it reads like an adventure, not a lecture. Many love how it pulls together anthropology, physiology and neuroscience in plain language. A common theme is that people finish it and change their routines straight away: more time outdoors, more walking, less reaching for comfort.
What well-known names said: Dr Peter Attia, author of Outlive, says Easter “puts data around the edges of what we intuitively believe.” Melissa Urban, Whole30 CEO, recommends it to anyone looking for a different way to improve their health and fitness.
Quick facts
- Author
- Michael Easter
- Publisher
- Rodale Books
- Length
- 304 pages
- Published
- 11 May 2021 (hardback)
- Formats
- Hardback, ebook and audiobook, read by the author
- Recognition
- New York Times bestseller
- Reading time
- Around 6 to 7 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy. Story-led, no science background needed.
Our verdict
If modern life feels easy but somehow leaves you flat, this book will change how you think about comfort. Michael Easter's idea of a misogi, one really hard challenge a year, gives you something real to aim at. It suits anyone who likes adventure stories with practical takeaways woven in. The audiobook runs just under nine hours and is read by Easter himself.
WillYouRead.com is independent and not affiliated with the author or publisher. This page is not medical advice. Please speak to your GP before making big changes to your diet or exercise.
More in Health and body
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- Outlive by Peter Attia (coming soon)
- Breath by James Nestor
- The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter (coming soon)
- Spark by John Ratey
- Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski (coming soon)