The fact that we can access this lecture without having to attend Stanford is mind-blowing. What a time to be alive!

i've completed the full cycle of procrastination, going so far into the depths of not doing homework that i end up taking a stanford intro class on youtube

For 11 years I've been coming back to this. It is still one of the most profound learning experiences available. Sapolsky its truly one of the finest human gems we had a chance to share time with on this planet.

I hope he’s still teaching. He is a wonderful professor, and I can tell he enjoys his work.

Lectures hit different when you’re not pressured by grades.

when you procrastinate so much you start watching lecture videos💀

The book by him, which he didn't say the name of, is the Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (he mentions it again in lecture 3)

I’m not even really interested in biology or science in general but I’ve been watching random college lectures on UKposts and I found this. Now I’m hooked. This guy is just so amazing and smart. When you aren’t worried or stressed about grades, you can truly focus on learning the content more. Especially if you have an exciting teacher like this. Using humor makes you remember stuff as well.

Just pointing put, someone wrote 57 minutes of subtitles for a lecture. Shout out to you my guy.

you know a class is good when a 15 year old boy watches it voluntairily on his pc in his free time

I'm Brazilian and I was feeling a little bit down for lacking money to study abroad using my university program. However, here I am watching this astonishing lecture. I loved this professor and I feel so excited to learn again🥺🤩

First of all, i can't properly express how grateful I am that I live at the age of moder technology - that I am able to attend such a great lecture while cooking in God forgotten country, to laugh along those students, to come to new approaches and views beside them. I really do hope that the professor knows that making this available to everybody is act of unbelievable kindness. Secondly, lectures like his make me remember why I love learning so much; why I always should stay curious about things around me even though my own college years are gone. And third thing? I am a teacher, too, and I aspire to be the same way this man is - full of humor, kind, knowledgeable and approachable, truly making people to want to seek the knowledge, to think. Once again, thank you, from the very bottom of my heart.

"yeah i took a class at stanford"

I'm not only in awe of his knowledge, but about his speaking skills as well. This was 1 hour of him constantly speaking without using any 'uuuhs', stopping words or hesitations in forming sentences...like he was reading out a book! Insanely good

Coming back on that lecture, you're an absolute gem Robert Sapolsky. I've discovered this video a year ago, searched my way through the infite possibilities of life, finally started my bachelor in psychology, and I head on becoming a researcher in evolutionary psychology or something like that if things go well and if I still like it. Hopefully I see you some day at Stanford University

As someone who possessed neither the academic skills nor the financial means to attend a prestigious university as a young adult, it is not lost on me now at age 51 just how absolutely incredible it is that the entirety of the world's knowledge is available to me with just a few clicks. I will never not be in awe of it.

This is the thing that UKposts needs to recommend more often and not about celebrities or bloggers babbling about their freaking stuffs.

This just made me realize that I really haven’t had that many good teachers in my life

This guy is a seriously gifted educator.

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📚 The course starts by illustrating a scenario of abnormal behavior, highlighting the potential influence of genetics. 01:26 🧬 Genetic influence on sexual orientation, prenatal events affecting political opinions, and using biology to understand religious beliefs are discussed. 03:17 🌡️ Certain events, like having a period, brain tumors, junk food consumption, and steroid use, have been used as defenses in murder cases due to hormonal impacts. 06:34 💔 Body's physiological state can dramatically affect brain functions, and vice versa. 08:30 📊 Humans simplify complex problems by categorizing information, but this can lead to oversimplification and misunderstanding. 11:20 🎨 The example of colors and language differences demonstrates how categories affect perception and memory. 15:08 📞 Categorization affects our ability to accurately recall sequences, like phone numbers. 17:52 🐔 The example of subway stops shows how categories influence interpretation and prediction. 21:18 🧠 The course aims to explore the complex relationships between physiological processes and behavior, avoiding oversimplified explanations. 23:44 🔍 The course structure involves tracing behaviors back through various factors, including hormones, development, genetics, and evolution. 24:13 🧬 Behavior is influenced by biological factors such as hormones and genes, leading to the interaction of endocrinology and genetics. 25:35 🤔 Challenge: Avoid falling into categorical thinking while analyzing complex behaviors and influences. 27:02 🧠 Historical figures in psychology and biology exhibited flawed categorical thinking, underestimating the complexity of human behavior. 32:43 🌍 Human behaviors are characterized by their varying levels of similarity and uniqueness compared to other species. 36:59 🔄 Recognize moments when humans share ordinary physiology with other animals but use it uniquely for empathy, compassion, and stress response. 40:16 💬 Humans exhibit behaviors that are unparalleled in the animal kingdom, such as language use and complex sexual practices. 43:07 📚 The course is designed for students with diverse backgrounds, and additional catchup sections will be provided for those unfamiliar with certain topics. 45:31 🧠 Behavioral biology is relevant in various aspects of life, from decision-making to understanding mental health, making informed choices important. 46:00 ⏰ Weekly sections, midterm, and final exams will structure the course, with breaks provided during class for convenience. 46:29 📚 Two assigned books: One by the instructor (optional), another is "Chaos" by James Gleick. 47:23 🌪️ "Chaos" challenges reductionism; behavior is complex like a cloud, not a clock. 48:49 📖 Lectures on chaos and complexity, readings available online, varying levels of depth. 50:45 🖥️ Course materials online, lecture notes, Q&A, office hours, sections for different backgrounds. 52:39 🗂️ Utilize skilled TAs, regular and advanced sections, evolving sections for different needs. 53:07 ⏰ Class is five units due to heavy class time, taped lectures available online. 54:04 📆 Midterm on May 3rd (7:30 PM), final on June 4th (5:15 PM), multiple-choice format due to class size. 55:29 🧠 Midterm focuses on basic understanding, final emphasizes interdisciplinary thinking. 56:54 🕒 Final clarification on exam timings.

honestly, Its crazy how much easier information is retained when you voluntarily seek it. When i was in school i would have never listened to this and would have been dying to get out of there. Now that i have the ability to learn on my own time I retain and look for information on a much higher level. Incredible.

The basic quality of a teacher is to provoke interest in his/her students on the subject if not it's their first failure, Here's one guy who really did that, absolutely riveting!

These lectures changed my life , I watched it three times now

Every human should listen to this entire series. It gives you so much insight into human anthropology, behavior etc. These videos are pretty old at this point but nonetheless pertinent. I think Sapolsky is still alive and there's absolutely nothing boring about listening to him, he keeps things moving right along, and a bit of humor gets thrown in here and there. I'm so thankful this series was conserved for humanity.

stanford: really hard to get into and 70k per year. also stanford: giving out their most interesting course for free on youtube. people in 2021: we're bored so yeah we're here.

No “uh’s” or “um’s” from this guy. Brilliant speaker.

As always, the difference between enjoying a subject and not enjoying a subject is the way it's presented, and whether or not it's presented with actual genuine passion. Clearly, Robert is doing a fantastic job here. Kudos and praise to him. Many thanks for making this publicly available, it's what all universities should do with all their subjects.

I'm Egyptian And I Think this course just changed the way I think about how my brain works Thank you, prof. Sapolsky and thank Stanford, for a moment I really hoped that I was born and raised in California and joined this university, but I'm grateful for finding out this course is free online

Whenever he starts to explain something and you dont fully get what that really means in real life, he goes „let me give you an example“ and thats just brilliant!

this guys looks exactly like what you'd expect a professor of human behavioral biology would look like

What a brilliant opening. Elaborates on a scenario and brings attention to the mystery of it's reasons. Then presents a number of interesting proposals in quick succession, establishing the kind of things that are to be discussed in the lectures and implicitly saying these are to be discussed later on. He executes it so well.

I listened to this course twelve years ago when I was still a college student, he's really an awesome teacher.

I started watching this playlist some five years ago... I'm now a grad student... in neuroscience. Sapolsky... this very video, actually... was my first introduction to the field... that field became my life. Returning to this is a crazy experience.

This lecture is an example of how you are drawn to certain subjects in school solely because of the way it was taught. One can develop interest in any discipline just by learning from the good teachers. God bless you for making these lectures publicly available.

Absolutely mind-blowing. What an incredible communicator this professor is. Thank you for sharing this freely with the world!

Just love to hear this professor. Would have loved to have him when I was in college. He loves to teach and loves people, relates really well with his students. And highly intelligent and has a unique interesting personality.

The fact that this is available to anyone who has an internet connection is what it means to be truly connected to the rest of the world and its knowledge. and also, this guy probably kills it at social gatherings.

What a good lecturer. Tone changes, speed changes, jokes in interval, all while delivering succinct info

Deeply absorbing series of lectures by a master of exposition - thank you Stanford for sharing. UKposts is an amazing resource and repository of knowledge; we are very lucky to have it.

The first time we get a glance at Prof. Robert Sapolsky's video teaching, there's no doubt we can't escape a feeling of stunned astonishment at his unusual look, especially in his hair style. So unlike the classical image we may have formed in our younger years of an austere, conservative competent academic in a prestigious university. The bushy mustache, the luxuriant beard, and the cocky ponytail in the back form a strikingly impressive appearance. One may wonder, what kind of microscopic vegetation may prosper in such a jungle-like beard. All this, while wearing what looks like some kind of tired open shirt more appropriate to home carpentry work than standing between a professorial desk and regular school blackboards. It's easy to jump to the conclusion that we're facing a truly eccentric character, a kind of hippie-style professor better tolerated on the West Coast than in the North-East. Surprisingly, Prof. Sapolsky's style is not as extravagant and unique as we initially thought. There's another distinguished lecturing scientist who operates with practically an identical style of facial hair configuration. This is Dr. Irving Finkel, a philologist, a specialist of the Ancient languages of Mesopotamia. This was a Middle East region now in modern Iraq, part of what is called the "Fertile Crescent". This area is one of the origins of human civilizations, where farming emerged through domestication of plants, and creation of crops. Thus permitting accumulation of reserves of food, a technical development of agriculture, the formation of primitive nations, with record-keeping, government, writing, etc.. the whole megillah. Dr. Irving Finkel operates at the British Museum, in the Dept of the Middle East. He lectures a the Royal Institute. He now is about 70 or 71, which makes him 6 years older than Prof. Sapolsky. The major contrast between both hairy scientists is that Finkel's beard, mustache and ponytail are all white, and thus project a much older look than Sapolsky, who still enjoys a vigorous frame of darker hair. Nonetheless, the resemblance of looks is uncanny. It is tempting to wonder if the two have ever been photographed together. This unusual resemblance suggests another question: Are there more scientists or academics sporting a similarly remarkable bushy frame of facial hair?

“And you get a bagel with cream cheese” this man not only taught his class but he rewarded and fed them, now that’s a legend.

I'm so grateful for living in an era where this kind of content is available like this. I'm from Brazil and I wouldn't be able to listen to this amazing classes if Stanford and professor Sapolsky weren't so kind to make it available online. Thank you.

Amazing lecture. Whenever he listens to students giving answer he is paying all the attention. His passion to share what he loves and dedication as a teacher is what makes him incredible!!😍

I watched I think all 24 or 25 of his lectures and even seen Robert on some fairly resent podcasts. He is very informative, intelligent, and has an entertaining style to teaching an interesting subject(s) that could be dry and boring if attempted by others. Great job!!!!!

I'm not even taking this class and I'm stressed about the midterm

The fact that the fall semester just finished and I was stressing out about school so happy it's finally over, then the next day I'm sat here voluntarily watching this whole thing speaks volumes to how good this professor is

Love this series on the site. Thank you to Stanford for keeping these up. And THANK YOU Robert Sapolsky for sharing your knowledge to those willing to listen!

The way he explains everything with humor and making sure even the slowest of students can get it right makes him one of the best teachers I have ever seen. I will have to watch the other 25 videos now lol

Imagine going to university and actually getting lecturers of this calibre

Can this guy teach everything? He is so concise, calm and articulated. He makes me want to go back to school.

Took me over a year to finish this course, read chaos and went down that rabbithole too! Best course I've ever done!!

This has popped up on my recommended since 2015 or so… and I never watched it until now. Wow… what a shame. This guy is great!

Me in college: trying to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. Me, 15 years later: wishing I was in college, watching lectures on UKposts for fun.

*me trying to watch something calm before sleep* The teacher: think about your death

Thankful that this is posted for everyone to access. There's nothing like the feeling of hanging onto every word of an incredible lecturer, especially when we don't have to worry about taking notes or grades!

Phenomenal Professor. Taking the whole day to watch this and many other lectures.

This guy gave a lecture at my high school. A decade later, I still vividly remember it. One of the smartest men I've ever heard speak.

I would turn up for every single one of Robert Sapolskys lectures. The guy is the definition of an engaging educator.

This is awesome! Thank you for making it available to everyone!😊👍

Man, I was just sitting here wishing I could afford to go back to school and here pops up a series of 50+ lectures from the university I dreamed of going to as a little kid. Life is cool sometimes.

When you were just planning to have a quick look but you can't stop watching 🤓

if all my professors were like this guy, i’d die happy.

I am listening to this lecture totally out of curiosity and I find the lecture extremely informative, and enlightening. His interesting delivery of the lectures made me think about why I haven't done my major in human behavioral biology! I find the topic extremely interesting and I am gonna finish listening to all the lectures in this lecture series. Thank you for making the knowledge easily accessible.

This is the guy in every natural disaster/apocalyptic movie that makes an earth-shattering discovery that no one pays attention to; everyone dismisses him because he's a philosophical lecturer with a hippie beard -- but then the main hero notices something off, investigates and finds him, and together they make up the brains/brawn duo that saves the day. Bada-bing bada-boom.

I am a Stanford grad. Biology of Behavior with Sapolsky was my favorite class. High recommendation to "take" this class here on youtube. And you won't have to take notes or do the readings or take the exams either...just absorb the information.

It could be fascinating how valuable information could be presented online, yet don’t look for it and so you don’t find it. Finally in the quest of looking for a proper question which resulted in finding this video. Thank you for sharing. You’ve got my focus.

This is awesome! Thank you for making it available to everyone!. Lectures hit different when you’re not pressured by grades..

Published 10 years ago -- and it has just hit 10M views. Thank you to Dr. Sapolsky and Stanford for sharing the most valuable of knowledge with us.

I accidentally clicked on this, but I'm just going to act like I walked into this class, sat down and played it cool.

Love the professor 😍👍👏👏 He is very stimulating and makes me want to sit in his classes for several subjects

I'd forgotten how much I love psychology and education. This is a wonderful course

I have been watching this video for 40 minutes right now. A: I do not study at Stanford B: I do not study anything related to biology C: I have a thermodynamics exam tomorrow

"Hippos would be repulsed by this" is my new favorite argument comeback

I’ve watched a few of his lectures. I like him. Smart guy. He seems not just genuine and entertaining but friendly too. I wish there were more professors / teachers like this.

Thank you for sharing this. Thank you so very much! It is so exciting to be sitting-in this class at 74 years of age. I can hardly wait to experience the person I will be when I have absorbed what I have learned here.

I didn't even graduate high school, but I'm here attending at Stanford.

My dude gives stand up comedy routines and lectures simultaneously

This guy knows how to hold lectures with people actually listening and it shows is experties in that exact field

Omg genuinely EVERY lecture for this class is on this channel that’s genuinely amazing you can actually learn what people are paying thousands to learn just by UKposts madness

Me, at 00:00 : "Oh god, UKposts has put a university lecture on my Autoplay. I wanna pick something else but the mouse is too far and I don't wanna get up." Me, at 57:00 : *scratches arm* "Hey man, you hem...you got some more of that Human Behavioral Biology stuff?"

Limiting access to knowledge is how society breeds elitism. Thank you for posting this .

Been holding out on this one for a while. I see why this was recommended. This lecture is mind-opening.

I took this class two years ago and found myself rereading my notes from the class on my flight back home. Here I am watching the lectures again, this time not for a grade, but just as entertaining 🎉

I am an extremely old senior citizen and did not have the $$$ to attend college. Now I can say I attended a class at Stanford As the saying goes it's never to late to learn something. I found this quite interesting. Thank you for being alive to learn something on the internet and U Tube.

I have no idea why UKposts has been recommending me this video for 5 years now but I'm finally watching it.

This is the best advertisement for going to university and no one can convince me otherwise

This wonderfully articulates some points on empathy I preach that I have struggled to explain to others in the past. I’m definitely going to have to save the link to this; the next time I’m in a debate with someone trying to make the point to always lean towards the side of being kind to ourselves and others I’ll be sending them this :)

Good lord I wish I had a professor with his level of interest and teaching. I never thought I'd watch an entire lecture outside of my education.

This would have to be the most appreciative comments section I have seen anywhere. Proof that most of us thirst for real knowledge because we are unsatiated by the daily sources of "knowledge". This professor nailed his role. Articulate, intelligent and witty while having an appearance that invites your attention. Best thing I have seen on UKposts to date, solely for the good it passed on to so many people.

Thank you. Working through my own issues, and I really appreciate listening to your lecture. I really enjoyed listening.

In a 2013 systematic review of menstrual synchrony, Harris and Vitzthum concluded, "In light of the lack of empirical evidence for MS [menstrual synchrony] sensu stricto, it seems there should be more widespread doubt than acceptance of this hypothesis" (pp. 238-239).[8] The experience of synchrony may be the result of the mathematical fact that menstrual cycles of different frequencies repeatedly converge and diverge over time and not due to a process of synchronization,[6] and the probability of encountering such overlaps by chance is high.[13]

For everyone asking, the two books are: 1) Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky 2) Chaos: Making New Science by James Gleick I know the Zebra book, is the one he wrote that he talks about here because he references it briefly at the beginning of the third lecture.

mom would be so proud knowing me attended a Stanford (online) course, with 100% scholarship (bc it's free)

This is honestly fantastic. Robert clearly adores the subject. Would have loved to be part of this class.

I got more from this lecture than I did in my 4 year undergraduate degree...

Utterly astounding how he proceeds with his material as if it was prerecorded in his brain, and nonstop for one hour. I did also watch one of his lectures that went for 1 hour 22 minutes the same way. And he is very endearing because he is obliviously so brilliant yet I do not detect a large ego, only a sense of self confidence and gentle humor.

Lecture One Notes 57 Minutes Minutes 1-10: - Professor describes a circumstance in which a male with no history of inappropriate behavior begins to act out of character. He acts in a way that displays violence, illegal sexual activity and rash decisions that lack logic. The professor justifies the presence of this behavior by attributing it to a genetic mutation. - The Professor presents four subjects and asks the class what they all have in common. 1. A woman being on her period 2. A brain tumor 3. Junk food 4. Anabolic Steroids - The thing the four topics stated above have in common is that they have all been used as reasons to justify murder in a court of law - The point of this example is to present evidence that the actions of the body directly affect the actions of the brain and, thus, contribute to behavior 1. A woman being on her period (hormonal changes lead to aggressive behavior) 2. A brain tumor (Effects on the amygdala lead to behavior that is typically out of character) 3. Junk food (Causes dangerous changes in blood sugar level which lead to behavioral alterations) 4. Anabolic Steroids (Large scale hormonal changes which lead to behavioral alterations) - Professor ends first ten minutes of lecture by stating the point of the course. The point of the course is, in part, to understand the relationship between the brain, the body and behavior under various complex circumstances. Minutes 11-20: - The next ten minutes is spent discussing an issue that arises when one attempts to understand the relationship between the brain, body and behavior. That issue is singular categorical thinking. Categorical thinking is approaching the situation and only considering one variable that may be attributing to behavior. - The benefit of categorical thinking is at times it can give humans needed structure to approach a topic. - The negative side of categorical thinking regarding this course are as follows: “When you pay attention to categorical boundaries you do not see big pictures.” “When you think categorically you underestimate how different two facts are when they fall in the same category.” “When you think in categories you can overestimate how different two things are when there is a boundary in between them.” Minutes 21-30: - Professor begins the next ten minutes of class by reiterating the goal of this class “The goal of this class is to take this big complex issue of behavior without falling into thinking in categories.” - The professor then gives examples of people who thought categorically and the flaws that followed because of such. • “ Give me a child at birth from any background and let me control the environment in which it is raised and I will turn him into anything I wish him to be whether doctor, lawyer, beggar or thief.” John Watson John Watson was one of the founders for the school of behaviorism. He believed that you could dictate a person’s development via their environment. However, the professor points out the obvious flaws in this train of thought. • “Normal physic life depends upon the good function of brain synapses and the mental disorders appear as a result of synaptic derangements. Synaptic adjustments will then modify corresponding ideas and force them into differing channels. Using this approach, we obtain curers and improvements but no failures.” Antonio Egas Moniz (Famous Portuguese Neurologist who developed and received a Noble Peace Prize for developing Frontal Lobotomies) Synaptic Adjustments= Frontal Lobotomies The speaker of this quote did unnecessary damage to the brains of hundred because he was thinking in a singular categorical fashion. • “The selection for social utility must be accomplished by some social institution if mankind is not to be ruined by domesticated induced degeneracy. The racial idea is the basis of our state and has already accomplished much. In this respect we may, and we must rely on the healthy instincts of the best of our people; for the extermination of elements of the population loaded with dregs.” Conrad Lorenz (One of the founding fathers of the Ethology/Nazi Propagandist) The errors in Conrad Lorenz Nazi styled categorical thinking patterns are obvious given the mass genocide that followed similar categorical thought patterns. - After these three examples are given the professor clarifies that this is not the way in which we will approach analysis behavior. - The way in which the professor states behavior needs to be analyzed is as follows: 1.) Address what the behavior looks like. 2.) Address what went on neurologically one second before the behavior took place. 3.) Address what environment stimuli provoked that neurological response. 4.) Address what hormone level was presence for the organism to be affected by the environment int hat way. 5.) Address the gene that was coded for that hormone and how the structure of that gene may affect that hormonal response. 6.) After accessing genetic coding note how pre-natal development may have affect that genetic coding. - The idea is to not get caught in a singular categorical way of thinking, but to see the overwhelming nuance and various factors of why an organism behaves in the manner it does. - The professor concludes this segment of ten minutes with depositing the question of what is the purpose of a chicken? The answer being that the chicken is just the eggs way of creating another egg. Minutes 31-40: - The professor uses this segment of ten minutes to address the three intellectual challenges you as a student may have in not thinking categorically. The three challenges are as follows: 1.) Understanding and Accepting that man is just like any other species. • The professor gives the example of how female hamsters and homo sapiens have menstrual cycles that will sync up when in close living conditions. The name of this phenomenon is called the Wellesley Affect and the McClintok Effect. 2.) Accepting that as a species we have a similar physiology to other species, but we utilize it at times in a way completely different from any other species. • The example that is given to support this is the way in which calories are burned. A chess player can burn the same number of calories as a full-grown chimp killing a predator. Same physiology but, at times, utilized in a completely different way. 3.) As a species we have similar physiology to other species but, at times, completely different behavioral patterns. • Example given to support this point is the mating ritual of homo sapiens versus that of hippos. Minutes 41-50: - Professor describes that the first portion of the course will be identifying each category used to dissect behavior. - Professor describes that the second part of the course will be used as an opportunity to use the categories you just learned to explain and ration various human behavior. - Books assigned: • “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” Robert Sapolsky • “Chaos” James Gleick - This segment of ten is concluded with the professor promoting Chaos by saying that it perfectly communicates the concept that human behavior is not something you can understand and fix by breaking it apart into its most small pieces and putting it back together but must be understood in the way a the structure and function of a cloud is. Minutes 51-57: - Last few minutes of the class are the professor detailing the structure of the class for the following semester.

Thank you for sharing this content with people who were not lucky to attend those prestige colleges❤

I've fallen asleep many times watching other videos but then when I wake up I always seem to end up in this video or another lecture from him

"If you can't explain something simply, that means you don't understand it yet." This guy can carry a conversation with an auditory tone, barely skipping a beat, and hold your hand the whole way without making you feel like you weren't listening. This is the best keynote speech of 'you're going to learn more about yourself than the text in the books provided' I've ever seen/heard.