1. Introduction to Human Behavioral Biology 

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

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.

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.

🎯 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.

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

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🥺🤩

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

I’m not even really interested in biology or science in general but I’ve been watching random college lectures on TRvid 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.

He is a great professor!! He actually makes learning fun!!

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

I watched this video when I was in high school and it was the reason why I decided to take AP Biology. Today I'm almost done with medical school. Dr. Sapolsky, I owe you more than you know!

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.

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.

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

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

I'm a first year psychology student and this course is a blessing! I was looking for behavioral biology explanations for things we as humans do and why we do it. first lecture has opened my mind not to think in categories and everything here is beneficial! Thank you very much for uploading this, I'm looking forward to listening to more. I have no doubt that this is going to be a very advantageous for my professional growth.

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!!😍

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

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.

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'd love to be able to get full access to this course. The professor is very likeable and what's more, he seems to care deeply about getting all the knowledge and information across to whoever is interested in having it. I think he is right in saying that this should be thought to everyone ( preferably not at gunpoint :D). At this moment I feel jealous of everyone who has had the chance to take this course.

This is the best and most engaging first class of a coarse I have ever seen. Well done sir.

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!!!!!

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.

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

This guy is such an amazing teacher! I now know what I missed out on not having attended Stanford. He is totally engaging, funny and interesting. It is like watching a Ted Talk. I can’t imagine him being this good on a daily basis. Lucky students!

I love lectures they seem to be a more relaxed way of learning and you seem to hold the information better

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.

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

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!

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.

i am so grateful that this piece of gem is available on the internet for free! i was attracted to click on this video because of the sheer amount of views it had, I thought," what could be so great about this video?" now while watching this I realised that it is quite insightful and informative piece which is presented beautifully! Thanks Stanford for uploading this great lecture by Mr. Sapolsky.

Incrível! Eu estou no minuto 7:22 e estou fascinada com esta aula. Obrigada por esse conteúdo!

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

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

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

While living and studying in North America, I was so lucky to have professors like Mr. Sapolsky. While I was working for HP, Stanford folks would come around regularly on our campus to offer many post graduate programs. I was too busy at work to take that on, but I was lucky enough to work with and work for some folks who had graduated from these programs. Some of the best people I ever worked with who had incredible level of understanding. The education system that makes such lectures possible makes a great nation, albeit with all it's short comings. I now live in South Asia and the quality of education is so poor it's beyond explanation. You have people who were 10 levels below mediocre, graduating and teaching at the same institution. It's pathetic.

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.

What a great professor! Congratulations to you all that are able to attend his classes. You rock prof!!!

I think we all underestimate the importance of teachers like professor Robert Sapolsky. A teacher, like him, not only tries to listen, see, and understand his students, but to also engage, educate, motivate and inspire his students. A great teacher wants to learn from his students and wants his students to ultimately surpass him and his work. He doesn't gatekeep, but enlightens others, seeks and invests in their full maturity and development. You can see he has passion and a sense of purpose and wants to guide others to their own success.

AULA MARAVILHOSA!

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!

I can't afford to go to college and definitely not to Stanford, but it's something like this that makes me remember how much I love learning without the stress and pressure put on it with grades and whatnot. I'm 20 (21 tomorrow) but I remember when I turned 18 and was about to graduate high school and was so ready to go to college and experience exactly this. Then depression and family issues and financial issues and just so, so much that made it hard to go straight to college- but sometimes I hope that one day I get to experience this.

This guy is a seriously gifted educator.

Human Behavioral Biology is one of the best and influential university courses I have ever encountered. Thank you Dr. Sapolsky, thank you Stanford.

I really enjoy watching this, he’s creative in his teachings. I hope there’s more instructors like you,

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

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.

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

Thank you for these lectures 🙏 This professor is Great 🙌

Love the lecture and the professor even more.

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

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!

One of the most brilliant teachers I've ever heard and been privileged to listen to online keep up the good work these kind of things are going to help educate all of our young people I have kids and this is important for all of them 💯🧐🏁🙌🙏🥰😇😁

Amazing teaching skills, and this whole course is a gold nugget! I'm approaching the course from the AI perspective and looking for what I can get out from this diverse set of related fields. 35:36 Wellesley effect - likely not a fact, all experiments seem to be disputed because of flaws

If you're a psychology student, there are five major perspectives in psychology you should know about. These are behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, and biological. These are also called the "grand theories" because they address a very broad scope and attempt to understand human behavior as a whole, as opposed to focusing on a narrow part or function of it. Well, if homework is stressing you up or if you're having trouble juggling classes with work or life, send me an email, and I will help you out. Don't worry, this is 100% confidential and the quality is excellent.

So thankful that I can listen to this and learn on my own time. Seriously such a great idea and so helpful and useful. Thank you all involved

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

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 tutor is amazing. I was an English lit student haha... and I'm now here enchanted. He explains things so that they're understandable to all... I could take very many classes if he was my tutor

Cara isso é fantastico!!! Estou em estado de choque, isto é demais.

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

I started the day with this lecture then listened to the following lectures for the rest of the day. This guy is brilliant. I really encourage everyone to follow through with the rest of these lectures.

Simplesmente SENSACIONAL

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.

I am a person with an academic background in plant sciences, have no idea how this field works but this lecture....! This lecture is pretty old, however, I discovered it lately, fortunately. And I'll turn up for each single lecture by this person posted here! Awesome experience.....!

GREAT CLASS!!! Thanks Dr Sapolsky!

Just started his book Behave and it is an incredibly funny and informative book. It reads just like his lectures.

I hail from psych bucket land (and embodied cognition but still) and this was recommended to me by a wonderful clinical neuroeconomist who shares my interest in a lot of different buckets and the understanding that buckets don’t really exist. What an incredible intro, so excited to take this journey 💜

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 :)

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 TRvid to date, solely for the good it passed on to so many people.

Alot of great insight coming from this professor, hes charismatic with his speaking but not in a scripted way, I can generally tell he enjoys whats he is doing and believes in his course.

Professor instructor sir, very informative... Thank you sharing your class and knowledge...

I'm reading Sapolsky's book "Behave" and I had to Come back to this video, the reason I fell in love with this brilliant man. I never had lecturers like this in University and I imagine id have been a much better student if I did. I absolutely love learning from him.

This is amazing wow I wonder how many cream cheese bagels this professor has given out! Was this just random or does he do this with every class he starts! I never imagined I would be excited to watch a series like this after 20 minutes I’m hooked🙏🏻

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.

Life changing and thought provoking, thank you for your passion in the subject !

OMG - I study in four different countries biotechnology but no teacher gets me on board in the first round! Perfectly explaining!

This opened my eyes on how problematic categorical thinking could be, quite a revelation

This man is brilliant. I am so grateful for this course.

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.

Relevance 0:15 1. Physiology and behaviour 3:17 2a. Categorical thinking 7:27 2b. Multi-level approach 🪣 20:22 3. similarities, repurposing, peculiarities 33:06 Course structure 41:05 Organizational matters 42:50

This is life changing having Professor Sapolsky teaching us about life and ourselves. Magnificent way of teaching. Night time listening until I fall asleep. Does anyone here know the name of the text book he is talking about prior to and after mentioning Baby Beluga ?

One of the best lectures I have listened to. Endlessly engaging, at least to me.

This was a really good session zero. The approach makes sense and I'm convinced I'm going to enjoy this series.

Wow.... incredible. 16 million views....it shows.... Evolutionary theory mixed with a gifted teacher are a successful combination. I'm happy so many people are trying to understand the natural world and ourselves....

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us 🙏you will be part of my personal development

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

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.

I am starting the course now and am stoked. After watching the intro, I am reminded of the mythology of 18th-century English major William Blake. The arch-nemesis in his worldview is Urizen, the impulse to reduce the world by measuring it. His ideal is the unbounded imagination, realizing the infinite in everything.

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

I just stumbled on this. I'll be following the rest of this series, so well presented. I had read 'Chaos' years ago. Now I'm retired and have some time for re-acquainting myself with a number of fields.

Ótima matéria!!!

This professor is wonderful, I’ve been in a lot of lectures and the way he immediately captured my attention, held it, injected humor, and made me like him- was fantastic. Intro to human behavior indeed.

Found out I got Bradypnea (slow breathing) self-diagnosed which causes dizziness and other symptoms. Normal breathing rate is 10-14 cycles per minute that is 10-14 x breathe in/breathe out. It takes months to retrain your breathing they say. I’d be interested to see how many breathes others take. Even 10 breathes a minute seems very fast to me, more like puffing than breathing, it’s a hard pace to maintain.

Watched this lecture for the first time about 3 years ago in highschool. I am now only a couple semesters away from finishing my Behavioral Neuroscience degree. Butterfly effect in full force.

never been to stanford but his lectures are amazing blend of fun and information

"Fall into categorical thinking and you can do unspeakable damage in a realm of science that makes the difference." - Professor