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Behave cover art

Behave

By: Robert M. Sapolsky
Narrated by: Michael Goldstrom
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

The audiobook edition of Behave by Robert Sapolsky, read by Michael Goldstrom.

The New York Times best seller.

Winner of the 2017 LA Times Book Prize.

Why do human beings behave as they do? 

We are capable of savage acts of violence but also spectacular feats of kindness: is one side of our nature destined to win out over the other?

Every act of human behaviour has multiple layers of causation, spiralling back seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, even centuries, right back to the dawn of time and the origins of our species. 

In the epic sweep of history, how does our biology affect the arc of war and peace, justice and persecution? How have our brains evolved alongside our cultures?

This is the exhilarating story of human morality and the science underpinning the biggest question of all: what makes us human?

©2018 Robert M Sapolsky (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Awe-inspiring.... You will learn more about human nature than in any other book I can think of." (Henry Marsh)

"One of the best scientist-writers of our time." (Oliver Sacks)

What listeners say about Behave

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Interesting book but narration is truly dreadful

Difficult to pay attention to the actual content without getting distracted by the narrators annoying and inappropriate voice. Why didn’t Sapolsky himself just narrate it?!! He has a brilliant voice...

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21 people found this helpful

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Slow to start but it all comes together

Don't miss this. If behaviour from nerves to hormones to genetics to environment excited you this book draws them all together. Although it starts slow it's worth the patience

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15 people found this helpful

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great book, great narration!

I'm very impressed by the narration! It's not easy to remain entertaining and bubbly on a science book. The book itself is entertaining and bubbly overall but there are some passages that are more technical and still the narration is really easy to listen to. The content is absolutely fascinating!

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7 people found this helpful

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Very informative

This book does justice to try at least partially to explain why, when or how we do what we do. There is quite a lot to take... And in the end it doesn't claim to provide with all of the answers, it tries and it makes lots of sense. A true science of real and complex world!

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6 people found this helpful

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Too much detail

I bought it because it looked interesting and you got a lot of hours for your credit. I now realize this is not necessarily the best method of choosing something. It is just too long and goes into too much depth for the curious generalist, which makes it at times baffling, sometimes tedious and often both. There is some really interesting stuff in here but buried in an avalanche of information. Maybe it's more of a primer for students of the subject but for me it was just too much and took a fascinating subject and managed to make it dull.

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Utterly comprehensive.

This review requires at least fifteen words to submit, so here we are. Awesome Book.

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fascinating and educational

Though I have no scientific background, Sapolsky's style of introducing examples and related stories really kept me so engaged.
the voice performance is crystal clear.
Though this book isn't really a story, Sapolsky summarises previous perceptions and current understanding of neuroscience in a way that a complete layman like myself can understand and relate to.
I am actually ready for another listen to get a deeper understanding of the material!

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3 people found this helpful

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A very accessible book on a very complex subject.

Robert Sapolsky writes in an engaging way, yet manages a thorough over view of current thinking on a very complex subject.

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3 people found this helpful

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Not for the Casual Reader

This was a fascinating listen but some of it was way over my head. I think the book is aimed at academics, particularly those concerned with Biology, Psychology and the Social Sciences. It is not for the casual reader!

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2 people found this helpful

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Should be taught in high school.

Monumental work for the general public, technically rigorous but approachable and engaging. Sapolsky's writing is well structured, clear and terse. I personally like his dry humor.

This is a book *EVERYONE* should read, as it is about a topic

that concerns everyone - why we behave the way we behave.

There's no real good reason to be oblivious about this

knowledge; it's fundamentally as necessary as basic human

biology to a functioning adult.

All the information contained, which might feel like too much, is included pragmatically and reasons for its inclusion are provided and justified properly. Theses are always presented with counterarguments and a neutral attitude. Theories that are uncertain are presented as such, but contextualized to highlight their relevance. The work of a true, great scientific mind.

A rare, once in a decade, life-changing book.

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1 person found this helpful