Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

It brings together the best articles by the well-known scientist and popularizer of science Robert Sapolsky about the human being in all its astonishing variety. The book’s three sections tackle the core questions of the natural sciences, including how genes and environment influence behavior, the social, political, and sexual underpinnings of behavioral biology, and society’s role in shaping personality. In everything Sapolsky describes—from rodent mating rituals to religious practices among tropical-forest inhabitants, from the release of pheromones to brain parasites—he brilliantly combines cutting-edge scientific discoveries with ironic, wise observations about the unimaginable complexity of existence. And these are only a few of the many pressing questions touched on in the book. How do subtle changes in the environment affect our behavior? What is the anatomy of a bad mood? How does stress affect our brain? What can you learn about human nature and upbringing from the list of “50 Most Beautiful People in America” in People magazine? Why is one person sexually attractive to another? Who will win in the genetic war of the sexes?

Why this audiobook deserves to be listened to

— It addresses questions that concern every person, explained by an authoritative scientist with a world reputation. At the same time, it was written in the best traditions of the genre: with vivid, engaging examples, clearly and cheerfully.