Robert M. Sapolsky

We are just another primate but a very confused, malleable one.

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“It’s not until the non-NMDA has been stimulated over and over by a long train of glutamate release, allowing enough sodium to…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Hormonal responses to various fetal and childhood experiences have epigenetic effects on genes related to the growth factor BDNF, to the vasopressin…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

...I might continue to believe that there is no god even if it were proved that there is. A religious friend of…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Moderate, transient stress (i.e., the good, stimulatory stress) promotes hippocampal LTP, while prolonged stress disrupts it and promotes LTD—one reason why cognition…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Another gene/environment interaction pertains to depression, a disease involving serotonin abnormalities.33 A gene called 5HTT codes for a transporter that removes serotonin…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Infuse oxytocin into the brain of a virgin rat, and she’ll act maternally—retrieving, grooming, and licking pups. Block the actions of oxytocin…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“call the game the “Wall Street Game,” and people become less cooperative. Calling it the “Community Game” does the opposite. Similarly,”

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Pretty straightforwardly, the more categories of adversities a child suffers, the dimmer his or her chances of a happy, functional adulthood.45”

— Robert M. Sapolsky

We're getting along so well; I trust you so much for this one second that I'm going to let you yank on…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

Importantly, rather than promoting aggression, testosterone promotes whatever is needed to maintain status when challenged.

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“For starters, circulating oxytocin levels are elevated in couples when they’ve first hooked up. Furthermore, the higher the levels, the more physical…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

On an incredibly simplistic level, you can think of depression as occurring when your cortex thinks an abstract thought and manages to…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Powerful support for an amygdaloid role in fear processing comes from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In PTSD sufferers the amygdala is overreactive…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“As you study the trait in more environments, the heritability score will decrease. This is recognized by Bouchard: “These conclusions [derived from…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Thus, oxytocin and vasopressin facilitate bonding between parent and child and between couples.fn10 Now for something truly charming that evolution has cooked…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“it’s human behavior, human social behavior, and in many cases abnormal human social behavior. And it is indeed a mess, a subject…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Logically, when the amygdala wants to mobilize a behavior—say, fleeing—it talks to the frontal cortex, seeking its executive approval. But if sufficiently…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

But often, it's easier to resist temptation with distraction, or to be so inculcated in doing the right thing that it's automatic,…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“In a typical study, higher testosterone levels would be observed in those male prisoners with higher rates of aggression. But being aggressive…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“In contrast, conservatives heavily value loyalty, authority, and sanctity. Obviously, this is a big difference. Is it okay to criticize your group…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

The purpose of science is not to cure us of our sense of mystery and wonder, but to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“probably the most important fact about genetics and culture is the delayed maturation of the frontal cortex—the genetic programming for the young…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA learns fear.fn14,20 Expose a rat to an innate trigger of fear—a…

— Robert M. Sapolsky

“First, can fetal or childhood exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids have lifelong, adverse effects? Glucocorticoids (such as hydrocortisone) are prescribed in vast amounts,…

— Robert M. Sapolsky