Book SummaryBehave, by Robert Sapolsky

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Behave

Understanding people is crucial to disciplines and careers ranging from psychology to sales. While there are countless books about how to relate to people—and sometimes how to manipulate them—few try to get to the core of human behavior in the same way that Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst does. Published in 2017, Behave received widely positive reviews for its educational value, as well as the author’s ability to explain complex concepts and his humorous writing style.

As a child, Robert Sapolsky became both fascinated and horrified with the atrocities of the Holocaust and strove to understand the science behind how people could do such terrible things. That fascination grew into a lifelong study of science and people and led directly to this book. What drives people to do what they do?...

Behave Summary Part 1: Nature: Biology and Genetics

We’ll start by examining the “natural” causes of behavior: that is, biology and evolution. First we’ll discuss the structure of the brain and some of its major functions, then we’ll move on to how hormones influence what we do, and finally we’ll look at some behavioral patterns that have been encoded in us through countless generations of evolution.

Note that, while our genetics do have some bearing on our actions, Sapolsky believes the nature part of the nature versus nurture debate has less impact than many people believe.

(Shortform note: Many researchers today—including Sapolsky—no longer recognize a clear divide between our genetics and our environments when it comes to behavior. Rather, as we’ll see in this guide, just about everything is the result of interactions between nature and nurture. In other words, there’s no such thing as a gene that forces us to act a certain way. At most, one could say that genes predispose us to certain behaviors.)

The Structure of the Brain

While numerous things influence what we do, the brain...

Behave Summary Part 2: Nurture: Culture, Family, Environment, and Stimuli

While biology explains internal influences on human behavior, Sapolsky says that external influences—including how we’re raised, where we are at a given moment, and what’s happening around us—are even more important in determining how we act.

Culture: How We’re Raised

Humans, like many other animals, instinctively want to fit in. We want to be part of the in-group, so we obey our culture’s rules, follow its beliefs, and expect others to do the same. Realizing that we’re not matching the people around us can cause serious anxiety—just imagine showing up to a fancy party in jeans and a t-shirt.

Interestingly, studies show that our most deeply held values aren’t things that we consciously think about following. For example, someone who’s been raised to be honest doesn’t decide to tell the truth or overcome the temptation to lie; that temptation never arises in the first place. In other words, you’ll reflexively follow whatever core values you were raised with, unless you make an active effort to do otherwise.

Two Types of Culture

In The Culture Map, cross-cultural management expert Erin Meyer...

Behave Summary What About Free Will?

This guide has covered numerous factors that influence our behaviors, but at the end of the day, can we still make a conscious choice about what to do? Sapolsky doesn’t think so—he believes that free will is an artificial construct we use to fill the gaps in our understanding of human behavior. If this is right, then, logically, someday we’ll close up all of those gaps and have no more need (or space) for the idea of free will.

While giving up the concept of free will is a disturbing notion, Sapolsky has some thoughts about why doing so would only change things for the better:

Dangerous people will still be arrested and—if needed—punished. Just because it’s not their “fault” doesn’t mean that dangerous people would be allowed to walk around freely. What it does mean is that justice would no longer focus on punishment, except as a means to discourage them from relapsing into their bad behavior. Instead, the focus would be on fixing whatever caused them to act that way in the first place.

(Shortform note: Studies...

Shortform Exercise: Think About Your Own Actions

Consider the ways “nurture” influences your behavior.

Recall something you did within the last week: one act that you remember clearly. This might be something you’re especially proud of, or, conversely, something that seemed out of character for you. Describe the action you’ve chosen.