
Behave
The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
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Narrated by:
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Michael Goldstrom
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By:
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Robert Sapolsky
About this listen
The New York Times best seller.
From the celebrated neurobiologist and primatologist, a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior, both good and bad, and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do?
Sapolsky's storytelling concept is delightful but it also has a powerful intrinsic logic: He starts by looking at the factors that bear on a person's reaction in the precise moment a behavior occurs, and then hops back in time from there, in stages, ultimately ending up at the deep history of our species and its evolutionary legacy.
And so the first category of explanation is the neurobiological one. A behavior occurs - whether an example of humans at our best, worst, or somewhere in between. What went on in a person's brain a second before the behavior happened? Then Sapolsky pulls out to a slightly larger field of vision, a little earlier in time: What sight, sound, or smell caused the nervous system to produce that behavior? And then, what hormones acted hours to days earlier to change how responsive that individual is to the stimuli that triggered the nervous system? By now he has increased our field of vision so that we are thinking about neurobiology and the sensory world of our environment and endocrinology in trying to explain what happened.
Sapolsky keeps going: How was that behavior influenced by structural changes in the nervous system over the preceding months, by that person's adolescence, childhood, fetal life, and then back to his or her genetic makeup? Finally, he expands the view to encompass factors larger than one individual. How did culture shape that individual's group, what ecological factors millennia old formed that culture? And on and on, back to evolutionary factors millions of years old.
The result is one of the most dazzling tours d'horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted, a majestic synthesis that harvests cutting-edge research across a range of disciplines to provide a subtle and nuanced perspective on why we ultimately do the things we do...for good and for ill. Sapolsky builds on this understanding to wrestle with some of our deepest and thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, morality and free will, and war and peace. Wise, humane, often very funny, Behave is a towering achievement, powerfully humanizing, and downright heroic in its own right.
©2017 Robert M. Sapolsky (P)2017 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2017
"It has my vote for science book of the year.” (Parul Sehgal, The New York Times)
“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)
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Must Read for the Sheer Fun of It
- By J.B. on 10-16-19
By: Bill Bryson
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Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
- The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping - Now Revised and Updated
- By: Robert Sapolsky
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Now in a third edition, Robert M. Sapolsky's acclaimed and successful Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers features new chapters on how stress affects sleep and addiction, as well as new insights into anxiety and personality disorder and the impact of spirituality on managing stress. As Sapolsky explains, most of us do not lie awake at night worrying about whether we have leprosy or malaria. Instead, the diseases we fear-and the ones that plague us now-are illnesses brought on by the slow accumulation of damage, such as heart disease and cancer.
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The narrator is awful
- By Amazon Customer on 12-15-14
By: Robert Sapolsky
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A Crack in Creation
- Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
- By: Jennifer A. Doudna, Samuel H. Sternberg
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Not since the atomic bomb has a technology so alarmed its inventors that they warned the world about its use. Not, that is, until the spring of 2015, when biologist Jennifer Doudna called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the new gene-editing tool CRISPR - a revolutionary new technology that she helped create - to make heritable changes in human embryos.
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In to the abyss we ascend, a scary future
- By Philomath on 06-17-17
By: Jennifer A. Doudna, and others
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The Molecule of More
- How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity - And Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race
- By: Daniel Z. Lieberman MD, Michael E. Long
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, George Washington University professor and psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Georgetown University lecturer Michael E. Long present a potentially life-changing proposal: Much of human life has an unconsidered component that explains an array of behaviors previously thought to be unrelated, including why winners cheat, why geniuses often suffer with mental illness, why nearly all diets fail, and more.
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Did you know conservatives have more orgasms?
- By Josh on 10-21-20
By: Daniel Z. Lieberman MD, and others
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The Diet Myth
- Why the Secret to Health and Weight Loss Is Already in Your Gut
- By: Tim Spector
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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What should we eat? It's a simple and fundamental question that still bewilders us despite a seemingly infinite amount of available information on which foods are best for our bodies. Scientists, dieticians, and even governments regularly publish research on the dangers of too much fat and sugar as well as on the benefits of exercise, and yet the global obesity crisis is only worsening. Most diet plans prove to be only short-term solutions, and few strategies work for everyone.
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Do not waste your credit
- By Judy on 01-22-16
By: Tim Spector
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Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science
- By: Robert Sapolsky, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: The Great Courses
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Original Recording
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Understanding our humanity - the essence of who we are - is one of the deepest mysteries and biggest challenges in modern science. Why do we have bad moods? Why are we capable of having such strange dreams? How can metaphors in our language hold such sway on our actions? As we learn more about the mechanisms of human behavior through evolutionary biology, neuroscience, anthropology, and other related fields, we're discovering just how intriguing the human species is.
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Somewhat Interesting but not Quite as Advertised
- By Adam J Duhame on 10-05-13
By: Robert Sapolsky, and others
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How Emotions Are Made
- The Secret Life of the Brain
- By: Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research overturns the long-standing belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions. Instead, Barrett shows, we construct each instance of emotion through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture.
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Emotions are not things!!!!!!
- By Gary on 03-14-17
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Compórtate
- La biología que hay detrás de nuestros mejores y peores comportamientos
- By: Robert M. Sapolsky
- Narrated by: Martin Untrojb
- Length: 45 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Un examen minucioso del comportamiento humano y una respuesta a la pregunta: ¿por qué hacemos las cosas que hacemos? Sapolsky analiza los factores en juego, desde el momento previo hasta los factores arraigados en la historia de nuestra especie y su legado evolutivo. Partiendo de una explicación neurobiológica -¿qué sucedió en el cerebro de una persona un segundo antes de que se comportara así?, ¿qué visión, sonido u olor hicieron que el sistema nervioso produjera ese comportamiento?-, pasamos a pensar en el mundo sensorial y la endocrinología.
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Dopamine Nation
- Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
- By: Dr. Anna Lembke
- Narrated by: Dr. Anna Lembke
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting....
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Interesting but feels incomplete
- By Chris on 09-02-21
By: Dr. Anna Lembke
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Stories We Never Tell
- By: Savi Sharma
- Narrated by: Kaushik Ramchandran, Nishi Jagavat
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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There are stories we never talk about. Stories we are afraid to share. Simply because they hurt too much or no one wants to listen to them. Such was the story of Jhanvi, who is a budding social media influencer. She appears to have it all together, but something is missing: Jhanvi has this impossible need that drives her to be more perfect than any person could possibly be. And the story of Ashray, who had a rocky start in life. With hard work and determination, he translates his dreams into reality, but his deep-seated insecurities come to the fore when life throws him a curveball.
By: Savi Sharma
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When the Wolves Bite
- By: Scott Wapner
- Narrated by: Scott Wapner
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The inside story of the clash of two of Wall Street's biggest, richest, toughest, most aggressive players - Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman - and Herbalife, the company caught in the middle. With their billions of dollars and their business savvy, activist investors Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman have the ability to move markets with the flick of a wrist. But what happens when they run into the one thing in business they can't control: each other?
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Great Story But Glitches
- By Anonymous User on 06-03-18
By: Scott Wapner
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Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- By: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
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Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
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One of my top 3 favorite courses!
- By Jessica on 12-28-13
By: Ken Albala, and others
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Sapiens
- A Brief History of Humankind
- By: Yuval Noah Harari
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.
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Should be required reading
- By Blue Zion on 12-22-18
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How the Mind Works
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
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Excellent, but a difficult listen.
- By David Roseberry on 12-11-11
By: Steven Pinker
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Five Doors of Success
- How to Build a Future Without Luck, Money, or Friends in High Places
- By: Joshua Candamo
- Narrated by: Max Culina
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Candamo draws on his experiences and heartfelt stories with impactful people in his life—from friends, to presidents, to a former drug cartel member—all of whom inspired his own journey navigating corporate America. But this book isn't about replicating his story, per se. That's entirely the wrong approach because everyone wants something different in life. This book is about demystifying success and providing a path to follow so that you can achieve what matters to you—your own version of success.
By: Joshua Candamo
What listeners say about Behave
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- Curmud the prof
- 05-28-17
A Magnum Opus
What a work! This book ties together insights ranging from so many disciplines that it defies categorization. Factors influencing human behavior but not determining per se - a major theme) are reviewed and illustrated with countless experimental examples ranging from molecular to societal -with everything in between. Some may find it repetitive but that is the essence of learning. So much detail is included that you should sign up for 15 Medical School credits if you make it to the end. And very importantly the narrator dealt with the big words in a manner was much appreciated by this reviewer - a retired professor of pharmacology.
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59 people found this helpful
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- Benjamin Unger
- 06-16-17
Very cool book!
I listen to the author's TED Talk and was inspired to listen to the audio book and I wasn't disappointed.
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14 people found this helpful
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- MoHassan
- 06-26-17
A how to on making the world a better place.
It's dense, but fascinating. A wealth or knowledge from various fields related to behavior.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Andy P.
- 08-25-20
Drone view of behavioral psychology
The book is very much a Psychology 101 course designed to give the reader an overview of the field, and frankly, it's a haul. Sapolsky covers a lot of ground and frankly, if you don't have some background in biopsychology, you can find yourself bogged down pretty quickly. Nevertheless, there is a lot of information here that has very practical uses and opens the reader to a better understanding of the world around them.
What surprised me, is how literary the book is. Sapolsky is a very fine writer. Clever, humorous and inventive. That was unexpected, but not unappreciated. The narrative is very good, and even though the book is very long, every chapter is satisfying.
My one criticism lies with his political analyses which are media friendly, but unsophisticated and unnecessary. Jonathan Haidt is not as good a writer as Sapolsky, but a better psychologist I think.
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3 people found this helpful
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- DV
- 05-13-19
Brilliant
I am in academic neuroscientist and I found this book absolutely stellar – a perfect mix of rigorous academics and digestible synthesis.
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1 person found this helpful
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- susan
- 12-12-18
Made my grey matter sit up and take notice!
Yes, it brought back a great deal of what I've learned along the way in Nursing. Pretty technical though. The author has an amazing sense of humor, so when I was listening to it in the car, I would laugh out loud!
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- Jill M
- 09-03-17
Fascinating
I loved it. Very well written. The reader has an easy voice to listen to.
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- Curiosum
- 07-06-23
The user manual for humanity
This is an astonishingly, enriching and informative excursion into human behaviour, it’s causes and origins.
Chances are, if you’re reading this book, you’re already well informed about genetics poly genetics, Epigenetics, psychology, sociology. human behaviour and cognitive sciences - at least at the level of a well-informed lay person.
Reading this book will further deepen your understanding of human nature and behaviour, and its implications for other fields of related study.
The one downside to this book is that your understanding will be at a depth where you will not have enough shared context with your social circle. And you may have a hard time having thoughtful conversations with them.
I’ve been handing out copies of this to my friends, just so I can have conversations with them about why people do what they do. And how to understand each other more deeply.
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- Kai
- 03-29-18
Great book
It is often that an author takes a side and is unable to see across to their opposition, but in this book Sapolsky does a great job of giving the reader space to find hope, without making unsubstantiated claims as to the need to find hope within the information he shares. He demonstrates the need for further understanding, while demonstrating the significance of what we current believe to be the case in relation to behavior and its roots. He also offers a gradation to his perspective, acknowledging that context is paramount to understanding, illuminating that, while generalizations are interesting and insightful, outliers will always exist. This is a great read, very well read, and definitely worth the many hours of listening!
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- Richard Foulkes
- 03-01-18
Dizzying overview of Behavior and the attempts to understand it.
Well worth the time to spend with this brilliant and entertaining author as he guilds you through his vexing science of neuroscience as it attempts to understand animal behavior and especially the most vexing animal..you!
At times your head may well spin as he convinces you of say the science pointing to a part of the brain that causes mirroring behavior only to shot holes in it a moment later.
This is true science evolving convincing understanding and for this alone I applaud the author.
I am left stimulated to dig deeper into how by understanding our evolving brains we may actually evolve as a species to value the obvious importance of nurture in the young brain. How we can overcome our instinctual impulse and how liberal thinking rises above our worst instincts.
The take aways are numerous and this should be required reading of anyone who is a policy maker of human activity.
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