Date: 10 May 2020
Neuroscience and evolution are both relatively new terms. In 1859, less than two centuries ago, Charles Darwin came up with a scientific idea of how humans came to be, the theory of evolution. The theory clarified many questions people had at the time about all living organisms.
In the 1970s, evolutionary scientists began thinking of ways of applying Darwin's theory of life in explaining human behaviours and the brain. These years were the time of many discoveries in the area of neuroscience and biology. These findings revealed a lot about human conduct. This is the reason why Robert Sapolsky, the professor of neurological sciences at Stanford University, called his bestselling book "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst" (2017).
Behave is, undoubtedly, a very scientific book that contains comprehensive details and neuroscience technicalities. Sapolsky managed to make the books interesting by sprinkling the writing with humour and organizing the information. Behave is arranged in parts that go further and further back in time, across multiple disciplines. The first part focuses on the Science-y part of neuroscience (Sapolsky truly challenged the stereotype of Science books being dull and dreary!). Behave has a very comfortable layout that makes understanding easier. Also, the text is full of humour and interesting examples. What is the book about?
I created a list of several lessons Behave taught me that explained so much!
1. We are shaped by our cultures more than by genetics. With the significant progress in the human genome project, more and more people started thinking that genetics played the most significant role in forming us. But many studies have proven this wrong! It is our culture that defines who we are - and it does so almost on a molecular level! That is why cultures have people with, sometimes, drastically different opinions on important topics. If we internalize stereotypes about ourselves (e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.), we start acting according to these stereotypes because they become a part of us. That is why many people don't rebel in a difficult situation regarding their social status - they just don't think they are worth it.
2. Genes and hormones have different effects in different environments. A hormone can make you nicer: help you act more altruistically, be friendlier to people, etc. But they can also make you crummier and less welcoming; it all depends on the environment. It is essential to keep in mind, though, that hormones don't cause anything. For example, there is a misconception that the mere presence of testosterone will make you more assertive and a bit more aggressive. But that is not true! Testosterone only enhances the qualities that were already there. In a violent situation, it isn't right to link the increased levels of testosterone to increased aggression (which some people do). Instead, the increased level of testosterone makes the aggression a little more substantial - it wasn't the cause! Finding out about these facts was fascinating because I used to think the polar opposite of all the facts.
3. The frontal cortex (part of the brain responsible for learning, creativity, and functioning in the society) develops the latest - by 25 years old in humans! The cortex of the brain is shaped by experience and culture, while genes play the smallest role in its formation. The late development of this brain part is the reason adolescents aren't as mature as adults, even though many of their other brain parts have already developed. That is also why many teens are prone to making bad decisions: their frontal cortex hasn't developed fully yet, and it can't always stay reasonable.
The frontal cortex is also responsible for controlling and avoiding temptations. While you could remind yourself to be altruistic and kind daily, a better idea would be to make the process automatic.
4. Subconsciously, we divide the world into Us and Them and prefer the former. This division is necessary for survival (e.g. most of us would rather sacrifice a random animal over our close relative). The downside is that this ideology can also fuel xenophobia - a fear of someone different. The best way to make someone feel unwelcome, and, possibly, create a ground for discrimination, is to portray those people as non-humans. That's why you should be suspicious of someone if they suggest that other types of people are like little crawly, infectious things.
It is also true that people don't tend to feel sorry for whole countries or communities. If you want to get support for an important issue, it would be more productive to talk about the experience of a specific individual. This way, people feel more compassion. If you know the person, you are more likely to feel sympathy/empathy, and it has been demonstrated multiple times in many other books I read.
5. Sympathy makes you feel for a person, while empathy makes you feel pain with the person. One of the brain receptors called ACC perceives empathy (and mental diseases like depression and anxiety) as physical injury. Your chemistry is off, and your mood changes. Teenagers are empathic; that is why so many young people care about global issues like hunger, poverty, environment, and others. While it is honourable to speak out about these issues, becoming empathic may not be the best approach to solve these kinds of problems. Why? Because it may backfire since a lot of adolescents start feeling sorry for themselves, and not for the issues they are trying to help solve. A better way to think about the situation would be to feel sympathetic. That way, you don't get distracted with the emotional pain you sense.
6. This is more of a fun fact, but people behave themselves when there is an eye watching them, even if it's only a painted eye. Can you imagine!? I mean, it does make sense; people want validation from the observer, which is the eye in this case. That's why you should put a picture of an eye in front of you before sitting down and finishing that homework!
7. Biologically, intense feelings of love and hate aren't the exact opposites, a misconception many people have. They both have the same effects on any being, not just humans. Both love and hate can make your heart pound, increase stress levels, and activate the amygdala, the central part of the brain that is responsible for mediating aggression. But do you want to know what the polar opposite of love and hate is? Indifference. You don't care. Nothing is activated.
8. The certainty with which we act now will seem very arrogant to us in the future, as well as to people who will come after us. Archaeology is the best example of people acknowledging this fact; in fact, this is why the famous Terracotta Army wasn't dug up fully. Archaeology scientists know that generations with better tools and knowledge will come after them. Taking everything out now would be egoistic, and future Homo sapiens would be annoyed.
All in all, this book was like a mix of Homo Deus, Sapiens, and I contain multitudes. It was more focused on the brain and behaviour. In some chapters, I felt like Robert Sapolsky quoted Yuval Noah Harari! They have shared ideas, and it would be an epic crossover for them to interview each other. Additionally, they are both professors at prestigious universities.
If you always wanted to get into a neuroscience course at Stanford but didn't know how to do that, Sapolsky's book "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst" is for you. It is very comprehensive. My rating is five out of five.
Andrew Burmakin
Megan Jorgensen
Maria Konnikova
John Fowles
Paul Scharre
Cat Patrick