Robert Sapolsky

Author

Robert Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinologist, primatologist, and author whose books make the science of human behaviour — from stress to aggression to free will — accessible, fascinating, and often very funny. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1957, Sapolsky studied biological anthropology at Harvard University and earned his PhD in... neuroendocrinology from Rockefeller University. He is a professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University and has spent decades studying stress in primates, dividing his time between his Stanford laboratory and fieldwork with baboon populations in Kenya's Masai Mara. A Primate's Memoir (2001) is a brilliant, unconventional memoir about his years studying baboons in Africa — a book that is simultaneously a work of popular science, a coming-of-age story, and a love letter to East Africa. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers is a witty guide to the science of stress. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (2017) is his magnum opus — a vast, ambitious exploration of why humans behave the way they do, examining behaviour from the moment of action backwards through the brain, hormones, genes, evolution, and culture. Determined (2023) makes his case against free will. Sapolsky writes with the authority of a leading scientist and the storytelling skill of a gifted essayist. He is one of those rare academics who can explain complex science without dumbing it down, while making it genuinely entertaining. The audiobook editions of Sapolsky's books are engaging and intellectually stimulating. His books and audiobooks are essential for anyone interested in neuroscience, human behaviour, and science writing at its very best. Read more Show less