Book · 2017 · Science
Behave
The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky has been mentioned in 8 episodes across 8 podcasts (6 episodes recommend it and 2 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Dr John Delony (1 episode), Dr. Ramani Durvasula (1 episode) and Julie Beloo (1 episode) on Huberman Lab (1 episode), On Purpose with Jay Shetty (1 episode) and People I (Mostly) Admire (1 episode).
- episodes
- 8
- podcasts
- 8
- people
- 8
- episodes recommend it
- 6
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.
Steve Levitt · People I (Mostly) Admire · Mar 2021 Listen at 29:44 Questions about Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky
Who recommends Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky on podcasts?
Dr John Delony (1 episode), Dr. Ramani Durvasula (1 episode), Julie Beloo (1 episode), Matt Mochary (1 episode) and Michael Mauboussin (1 episode) have recommended Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky on podcasts. In all, 8 people brought it up across 8 podcasts (6 people recommended it).
Which podcasts mention Behave the most?
Huberman Lab (1 episode), On Purpose with Jay Shetty (1 episode), People I (Mostly) Admire (1 episode), The Dr. John Delony Show (1 episode) and The Ezra Klein Show (1 episode), among 8 podcasts in all.
Is Behave recommended, or only discussed?
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky was recommended in 6 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 2 episodes, as of 2026-05-08.
What do people say about Behave?
Steve Levitt on People I (Mostly) Admire (2021-03-06): "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."
When was Behave last mentioned on a podcast?
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky was last recommended on The Ezra Klein Show by Julie Beloo on 2026-05-08.
What they say about it
- Analyzes violence and science“most thorough and thoughtful, enlightening scientific book”2
- Recommends reading the book“can't recommend the book Behave”2
The best things said about it
You know, he wrote a book called Behave in 2017, which is, I would say, probably the best book I've ever read on human nature.
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.
Dr. Ramani Durvasula On Purpose with Jay Shetty · Dec 2022 Behave by Robert Sapolsky, he's a Stanford scientist and researcher, it's a magical book.
And and so you know Sapolsky wrote this book called the hey which goes deep into the physiology of the brain and where emotions come from and thought patterns and creativity and fear etc.
You do that in particular in behave with the as you map out the nervous system from the hypothalamus upward toward the prefrontal cortex.
Jordan Peterson The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast · Oct 2023 Where and when it comes up
8 people who brought it up
- Dr John Delony1 episode · recommended in 1
- Dr. Ramani Durvasula1 episode · recommended in 1
- Julie Beloo1 episode · recommended in 1
- Matt Mochary1 episode · recommended in 1
- Michael Mauboussin1 episode · recommended in 1
- Steve Levitt1 episode · recommended in 1
Andrew Huberman1 episode- Jordan Peterson1 episode
Why people recommend it
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky is a comprehensive and profoundly enlightening scientific exploration of human behavior, aggression, and the biological underpinnings of why we do what we do. The book was enthusiastically recommended by Julie Beloo on The Ezra Klein Show as a formative text that shaped her own thinking, while Michael Mauboussin declared on The Tim Ferriss Show that it is arguably the best book ever written on human nature. Steve Levitt praised it on People I (Mostly) Admire as an extraordinarily thorough scientific analysis of violence, and Dr. Ramani Durvasula told listeners on On Purpose with Jay Shetty that it stands out as one of the most exceptional psychological works of the past decade. Dr. John Delony similarly recommended it on his show as a magical, albeit dense, volume for science enthusiasts, and Matt Mochary pointed listeners toward Sapolsky's deep dives into brain physiology, emotional origins, and fear on This Week in Startups. Additionally, Jordan Peterson discussed the book on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, noting how deeply the sections exploring game theory resonated with his own understanding of human dynamics.
Every mention
Dr John Delony um if you're a super nerd behaved by robert sapolsky he's a stanford scientist and researcher it's a magica… 1
“um if you're a super nerd behaved by robert sapolsky he's a stanford scientist and researcher it's a magical book”
Dr. Ramani Durvasula There's fascinating work and if if you've never read it, I can't recommend this book enough. The book behav… 1
“There's fascinating work and if if you've never read it, I can't recommend this book enough. The book behave by Robert Sapolsky maybe one of the most extraordinary books I think has been written in the last 10 years.”
“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.”
Julie Beloo One was Behave by Robert Seapolski. 1
“One was Behave by Robert Seapolski.”
Matt Mochary and and so you know Sapolsky wrote this book called the hey which goes deep into the physiology of the brai… 1
“and and so you know Sapolsky wrote this book called the hey which goes deep into the physiology of the brain and where emotions come from and thought patterns and creativity and fear etc”
Michael Mauboussin You know, he wrote a book called Behave in 2017, which is, I would say, probably the best book I've ever re… 1
“You know, he wrote a book called Behave in 2017, which is, I would say, probably the best book I've ever read on human nature.”
Steve Levitt He wrote a book called 'Behave,' and I would say it's the most thorough and thoughtful, enlightening scient… 1
“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.”
Andrew Huberman my colleague David Spiegel at um Stanford Psychiatry and the the great Bob spolski Robert spolski of why ze… 1
“my colleague David Spiegel at um Stanford Psychiatry and the the great Bob spolski Robert spolski of why zebras don't get ulcers y behave Etc and fame”
Jordan Peterson So, I was reading Behave um in some detail. I've read a number of your other books. I've followed your care… 1
“So, I was reading Behave um in some detail. I've read a number of your other books. I've followed your career for a long time.”
“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.”
“You do that in particular in behave with the as you map out the nervous system from the hypothalamus upward toward the prefrontal cortex.”
“One of the things you point out and and this is one of the ways your book is integrated, I I believe is that as you move upward in the hierarchy of the nervous system towards the more recently evolved brain areas”
“You tell me what you think about this cuz you write a little bit about religious issues in your book, too, although not a lot, but some.”
“But the the fundamental question is and you do point to this in behave is well, if you have a whole society of cheaters and backstabbers, which is maybe the default Hobbesian situation, how the hell do you ever get a cooperative landscape started much less a landscape where the default response between strangers is honest and trusting.”
Other mentions (4: 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.”
“and about five years ago I wrote this book uh called behave the biology of humans at our best and worst and it's basically why do we do what we do”
“Dr. Sapolsky is also a prolific author of popular books, such as "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers", "The Trouble with Testosterone", and "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst".”
“His latest book Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst is available now.”