Robert Sapolsky Books

New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “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 "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.

FROM AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, BEHAVE 'Remarkable... A Primate's Memoir is the closest the baboon is likely to come - and it's plenty close enough - to having its own Iliad' The New York Times Review of Books 'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' Oliver Sacks Brooklyn-born Robert Sapolsky grew up wishing he could live in the primate diorama in the Museum of Natural History. At school he wrote fan letters to primatologists and even taught himself Swahili, all with the hope of one day joining his primate brethren in Africa. But when, at the age of twenty-one, Sapolky's dream finally comes true he discovers that the African bush bears little resemblance to the tranquillity of a museum. This is the story of the next twenty-one years as Sapolsky slowly infiltrates and befriends a troop of Savannah baboons. Alone in the middle of the Serengeti with no electricity, running water or telephone, and surviving countless scams, culinary atrocities and a surreal kidnapping, Sapolsky becomes ever more enamoured with his adopted baboon troop - unique and compelling characters in their own right - and he returns to them summer after summer, until tragedy finally prevails. Exhilarating, hilarious and poignant, A Primate's Memoir is a uniquely honest window into the coming-of-age of one of our greatest scientific minds.

A distinguished primatologist explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including ulcers, colitis, heart disease, depression, and memory loss, and addresses how to combat it. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

As a professor of biology and neuroscience at Stanford and a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," Robert Sapolsky carries impressive credentials. Best of all, he's a gifted writer who possesses a delightfully devilish sense of humor. In these essays, which range widely but mostly focus on the relationships between biology and human behavior, hard and intricate science is handled with a deft touch that makes it accessible to the general reader. In one memorable piece, Sapolsky compares the fascination with tabloid TV to behavior he's observed among wild African baboons. "Rubber necks," notes the professor, "seem to be a common feature of the primate order." In the title essay of The Trouble with Testosterone, Sapolsky ruminates on the links, real or perceived, between that hormone and aggression.Covering such broad topics as science, politics, history, and nature, the author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers writes accessible and interesting essays that explore the human struggle with moral and ethical problems in today's world. 20,000 first printing.

witty style, skillful integration of biology and psychology, and research-based recommendations for coping with stress make Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers a unique and indispensable book for people worried about worrying themselves sick.

'The making of a lifelike picture was something to be wondered at. It was an adventure, it was an expense, and it was often something of an ordeal...' Victorians in Camera explores the world of nineteenth century photography from the subjects' point of view. What did people want from their portraits? Where did they go to have them made and did the Victorians really never smile? What did they do with the finished product, whether a formal daguerreotype or cheery snapshot? From a wealth of contemporary evidence - in both words and pictures - Robert Pols reveals the story behind Victorian photography - from trickery to photographic fashions. Discover the social history behind nineteenth century photographs and how to trace hidden stories within your own family album.

Explore the history of King's Lynn through this fascinating collection of beautiful old photographs.

One of the world's greatest scientists of human behaviour, the bestselling author of Behave, shows that free will does not exist - and sets out the disturbing yet liberating implications of accepting this fact. 'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' OLIVER SACKS What if free will is an illusion? As Robert Sapolsky shows in this masterful account of the science of human behaviour, everything we think and do is caused by the luck of our biology and the influence of our environment, and ultimately both are beyond our control. In a world without free will, we must completely rethink what we mean by choice, responsibility, morality and justice. Sapolsky's extraordinary book does exactly this, guiding us toward a profoundly fairer, more humane way of living together. 'A joy to read. It's impossible to recommend this book too highly. Reading it could change your life' LAURENCE REES 'Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing and the depth of humanity it conveys' Wall Street Journal 'Moving, absorbing, compassionate' OLIVER BURKEMAN, Observer

Zachowuj się – znakomita, kompleksowa publikacja amerykańskiego biologa i neurologa, Roberta Sapolsky’ego, o motywach ludzkiego zachowania. Kolejny tytuł pośród uznanych propozycji popularno-naukowych Media Rodziny, takich jak „Inteligencja emocjonalna” Golemana, „Factfulness” Hansa Roslinga czy „Pułapki myślenia” Kahnemana. Autor zabiera czytelnika w zdumiewającą podróż, przedstawiając interdyscyplinarne spojrzenie na ludzkie postępowanie z perspektywy naukowej. W fascynujący sposób tłumaczy nasze codzienne doświadczenia. Zarazem jednak maluje najpełniejszy jak dotąd obraz gleby, z której wyrastają plemienne waśnie i ksenofobia, wojna i pokój. Książka ma pomysłowy układ: poczynając od chwili, w której zachowaliśmy się tak, a nie inaczej, cofamy się w czasie, aby warstwa po warstwie ukazać kolejne przyczyny naszego postępowania. Od reakcji w ułamku sekundy zachodzących w mózgu i układzie nerwowym, przez interakcje hormonalne, doświadczenia dorastania, dzieciństwa czy rozwoju płodowego. W każdym rozdziale pojawia się najważniejsze z pytań: co sprawia, że popełniamy najgorsze potworności, i zarazem co nas popycha do najwspanialszych zachowań? Autor uwzględnia też wpływ genetycznego dziedzictwa i kulturowego kontekstu aż do ewolucyjnych początków istnienia naszego gatunku. Po połączeniu wszystkich tych warstw uzyskujemy bezprecedensowy, zdumiewający wgląd w ludzką naturę. Rzuca nowe światło na takie zjawiska, jak rasizm, traumatyczne dzieciństwo, moralność czy wolna wola. Pokazuje także, jak skuteczniej dążyć do pojednania i trwałego pokoju. „Zachowuj się” to niespotykane osiągnięcie: książka mądra, głęboko ludzka, często bardzo zabawna, która nas uczy człowieczeństwa. Przez wiele lat nie znajdzie sobie równej. Niewątpliwą zaletą tej książki jest wspaniała narracja, zabarwiona dowcipem i humorem, a także znakomity przekład autorstwa Piotra Szymczaka, które ułatwiają przyswajanie pełnej erudycji treści.

»Das wohl umfassendste Werk, das sich je dem Zusammenleben der Menschen gewidmet hat.« Die ZeitDer New-York-Times-Bestseller erstmalig im Taschenbuch Robert Sapolsky legt Schicht für Schicht die Ursachen und Biologie des menschlichen Verhaltens frei. Warum sind Menschen mal aggressiv, mal einfühlsam? Der Neurobiologe schlüsselt in seinem Standardwerk Schritt für Schritt sämtliche Faktoren auf, die zu Gewalt oder Mitgefühl führen: - Was passiert Sekundenbruchteile vor einer Gräueltat im Gehirn? - Welche Sinnesreize wirken Sekunden oder Minuten vor einem Akt des Mitgefühls auf uns ein?- Wie stimulieren Hormone Stunden oder Tage vorher das Nervensystem? - Welche Rolle spielen Umwelt, Erziehung und Kultur, und welche die Gene? - Und was hat die Evolution damit zu tun, dass wir morden oder unseren Nächsten lieben?  Sapolskys faszinierende Analyse lässt uns jede Tat als komplexes Zusammenspiel biologischer und psychologischer Einflüsse begreifen. „Gewalt und Mitgefühl“ ist eine grandiose Synthese der Wissenschaft vom menschlichen Verhalten. Und ein Buch, das vollkommen neue Wege aufzeigt, die Kontrolle über unser Handeln zurückzugewinnen – und damit die Gewalt einzudämmen. »Eine eigensinnige und bahnbrechende Synthese von Neurobiologie und Psychologie. Darwin wäre begeistert gewesen.«  THE NEW YORK TIMES