Why people recommend it
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky is a comprehensive scientific examination of the biological and neurological roots of human violence, aggression, and cooperation. The book has received high praise from podcasters and their guests exploring human behavior. Julie Beloo recommended it on The Ezra Klein Show as a key text that shaped her thinking during her own writing process. Steve Levitt featured the book extensively on People I (Mostly) Admire, calling it the most thorough, thoughtful, and enlightening scientific exploration of violence he had ever encountered. On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, the host noted that the book's sections on game theory and its unconventional terminology particularly struck him during his reading. Additionally, Dr. Ramani discussed the text on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, describing it as an extraordinary psychological read from the past decade and strongly encouraging listeners to pick it up if they had not already done so. Across these episodes, contributors highlighted Sapolsky's remarkable ability to synthesize complex neurobiological, evolutionary, and sociological data into an accessible narrative, making Behave an essential recommendation for anyone seeking to understand why humans act the way they do toward one another.
Who recommended it
- Steve Levitt Recommended
- Julie Beloo Recommended
- Jordan B. Peterson Discussed
Steve Levitt — 2 mentions
“so he wrote a book called behave and I would say it's the most thorough and thoughtful enlightening scientific book I've ever read about violence”
“He wrote a book called 'Behave,' and I would say it's the most thorough and thoughtful, enlightening scientific book I've ever read about violence.”
Julie Beloo — 1 mention
“One was Behave by Robert Seapolski.”
Jordan B. Peterson — 1 mention
“The thing that really struck me in 'Behave' is the sections on Game Theory, and I wanted to start talking about it because, first of all, the terminology is strange.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“There’s fascinating work on this, and if you've never read it, I can't recommend the book 'Behave' by Robert Sapolsky enough—it’s one of the most extraordinary books written in the last decade.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“You mentioned Sapolsky; I had him on the show recently. What do you think most people misunderstand about stress? Obviously, he's contributed an awful lot to this, and you've thought about this too.”