Episode 376: Robert Sapolsky
My biggest hero Robert Sapolsky returns to the show for an exceptionally important conversation about stress during a time where many of us have experienced the most in our life. This is an important conversation about how lack of predictability and control can lead to learned helplessness.
This recipient of the MacArthur Foundation genius grant is a Professor at Stanford University holding joint appointments in several departments, including Biological Sciences, Neurology & Neurological Sciences, and Neurosurgery. In addition to everything else, he spent summers in Kenya study baboons which you can read about in his amazing book ‘A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons’.
As someone who has spent years interviewing scientists, taking classes, watching talks, and reading science books, I believe Robert Sapolsky is the greatest science communicator alive. I hope you enjoy this episode.
His Human Behavioral Biology class changed my life and is probably the most useful and interesting 25 hours of my life. It’s free online and I hope you have a chance to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA
His books are amazing:
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
The Trouble with Testosterone: And Other Essays on the Biology of the Human Predicament
Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Here is a link to the first time he was on my show: https://www.herewearepodcast.com/episodes/578adw5viwkc1bdqqv1uz0iv40usxg?rq=sapolsky
And here is a really fun episode of my comedy/philosophy podcast Mind Under Matter where we dug into some of his work: https://mindunderpod.com/blogs/episodes/episode-42-behaviors-past
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Never stop learning.
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