Robert M. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate's Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcer, and Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. He is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant." He and his wife live in San Francisco.
One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of
2017
"Sapolsky has created an immensely readable, often hilarious romp
through the multiple worlds of psychology, primatology, sociology
and neurobiology to explain why we behave the way we do. It is
hands-down one of the best books I've read in years. I loved it."
-Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post
"It's no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best
nonfiction books I've ever read." -David P. Barash, The Wall
Street Journal
"A quirky, opinionated and magisterial synthesis of psychology and
neurobiology that integrates this complex subject more accessibly
and completely than ever . . . a wild and mind-opening ride into a
better understanding of just where our behavior comes from. Darwin
would have been thrilled." -Richard Wrangham, The New York
Times Book Review
"[Sapolskly's] new book is his magnum opus, but is also strikingly
different from his earlier work, veering sharply toward hard
science as it looms myriad strands of his ruminations on human
behavior. The familiar, enchanting Sapolsky tropes are here-his
warm, witty voice, a sleight of hand that unfolds the mysteries of
cognition-but Behave keeps the bar high . . . . A stunning
achievement and an invaluable addition to the canon of scientific
literature, certain to kindle debate for years to come."
-Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A masterly cross-disciplinary scientific study of human behavior:
What in our glands, our genes, our childhoods explains our species'
capacity for both altruism and brutality? This comprehensive and
friendly survey of a 'big sprawling mess of a subject' is leavened
by an impressive data-to-silly joke ratio. It has my vote for
science book of the year." -Parul Sehgal, New York Times
"A monumental contribution to the scientific understanding of human
behavior that belongs on every bookshelf and many a course syllabus
. . . It is a magnificent culmination of integrative thinking, on
par with similar authoritative works, such as Jared Diamond's
Guns, Germs, and Steel and Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of
Our Nature." -Michael Shermer, American Scholar
"Behave is the best detective story ever written, and the most
important. If you've ever wondered why someone did something-good
or bad, vicious or generous-you need to read this book. If you
think you already know why people behave as they do, you need to
read this book. In other words, everybody needs to read it. It
should be available on prescription (side effects: chronic
laughter; highly addictive). They should put Behave in hotel
rooms instead of the Bible: the world would be a much better, wiser
place" -Kate Fox, author of Watching the English
"Magisterial . . . This extraordinary survey of the science of
human behaviour takes the reader on an epic journey . . . Sapolsky
makes the book consistently entertaining, with an infectious
excitement at the puzzles he explains . . . a miraculous synthesis
of scholarly domains." -Steven Poole, The Guardian
"Rarely does an almost 800-page book keep my attention from start
to finish, but if anyone can save evolutionary biology from TED
talkers and pop-science fabulists, it might be Sapolsky . . . .
Behave ranges at great length from moral philosophy to social
science, genetics to Sapolsky's home turf of neurons and
hormones-but all of it is aimed squarely at the question of why
humans are so awful to each other, and whether the condition is
terminal." -Vulture
"Robert Sapolsky's students must love him. In Behave, the
primatologist, neurologist and science communicator writes like a
teacher: witty, erudite and passionate about clear communication.
You feel like a lucky auditor in a fast-paced undergraduate course,
where the implications of fascinating scientific findings are
illuminated through topical stories and pop-culture allusions."
-Nature
"Sapolsky's book shows in exquisite
detail how culture, context and learning shape everything our
genes, brains, hormones and neurons do." -Times Literary
Supplement
"Behave is like a great historical novel, with excellent
prose and encyclopedic detail. It traces the most important story
that can ever be told." -Edward O. Wilson
"Truly all-encompassing . . . detailed, accessible, fascinating."
-The Telegraph
"A wide-ranging, learned survey of all the making-us-tick things
that, for better or worse, define us as human . . . . An exemplary
work of popular science, challenging but accessible." -Kirkus
Reviews, starred
"[Sapolsky] weaves science storytelling with humor . . . . [His]
big ideas deserve a wide audience and will likely shape thinking
for some time." -Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
"[Sapolsky] does an excellent job of bringing together the
expansive literature of thousands of fascinating studies with
clarity and humor . . . . A tour-de-force." -Library
Journal (starred review)
"Sapolsky finds not the high moral drama of the soul choosing good
or evil but rather down-to-earth biology . . . a remarkably
encyclopedic survey of the sciences illuminating human
conduct."
-Booklist(starred review)
"Read Robert Sapolsky's marvelous book Behave and you'll never
again be surprised by the range and depth of our own bad behavior.
We all carry the potential for unconscious biases, to be damaged by
our childhoods and map that damage onto our own loved ones, and to
form the tribal 'Us' groups that treat outsiders as lesser 'Thems.'
But to read this book is also, marvelously, to be given the hope
that we have much more control of those behaviors than we think.
And Behave gives us more than hope-it gives us the knowledge of how
to act on that aspiration, to manifest more of our best selves and
less of our worst, individually and as a society. That's very good
news indeed." -Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of
Habit and Smarter Faster Better
"As wide as it is deep, this book is colorful, electrifying, and
moving. Sapolsky leverages his deep expertise to ask the most
fundamental questions about being human-from acts of hate to
acts of love, from our compulsion to dehumanize to our capacity to
rehumanize." -David Eagleman, PhD, neuroscientist at Stanford,
author, presenter of PBS's The Brain
"Behave is a beautifully crafted work about the biology of
morality. Sapolsky makes multiple passes at the target, using
different time scales and systems. He shows you how all the
perspectives and systems connect, and he makes you laugh and marvel
along the way. Sapolsky is not just a leading primatologist; he's a
great writer and a superb guide to human nature." -Jonathan
Haidt, New York University, author of The Righteous Mind
"This is a miraculous book, by far the best treatment of violence,
aggression, and competition ever. It ranges from how neurons and
hormones interact, how emotions are an essential part of decision
making, why adolescents are more likely to be violent than adults,
why genes influence cultures and vice-versa, and the ins and outs
of "we versus them," all the way to "live and let live" truces in
World War I and the My Lai massacre. Its depth and breadth of
scholarship are amazing, building on Sapolsky's own research and
his vast knowledge of the neurobiology, genetic, and behavioral
literature. For instance, Behave includes fair evaluations of
complex debates (like over sociobiology) that I was involved in,
and tackles controversial questions such as whether our
hunter-gatherer ancestors warred on each other. He even takes on
"free will" with a clarity usually absent from the writings of
philosophers on the subject. All this is done brilliantly with a
light and funny touch that shows why Sapolsky is recognized as one
of the greatest teachers in science today." -Paul R. Ehrlich,
author of Human
Natures
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