14. Limbic System 

Anybody watching for fun? =D

I feel like he's beaming that knowledge into my brain. So eloquent, clear, and easy to follow.

This is what you get when you attend a world class university... a brilliant, engaging professor. What a gift. Thank for this.

Who on earth would want to miss a lecture with this man?

I love that I live in an era when a nobody like me in community college can watch the same lectures they're hearing at Stanford for free. I love that everybody who has access to the internet can hear the same lectures they listen to in Harvard and other top schools. It also complicates the matter of who is "educated." They hear the same lectures going to such schools but I guess the difference is in homework and testing.

I would not miss a class by this guy. He is able to explain neurobiology in a way that even I can understand and find stimulating. Is it possible to get a dopamine kick from a biology lesson?

Thank you Stanford for allowing this to reach the public. Thank you Robert for your ability to convey.

He has great comedic timing. It’s very subtle.

@24:06 Parts of the Limbic System @50:00 Amygdala enlarges in people with PTSD (more dendritic processes) @51:00 Hippocampus atrophies and gets smaller in people with long term depression

This says so much about my drug addiction that actually makes sense and adds up and he probably doesn’t even know how much he just changed my life. If I had an award to give out this man has it

my brain floods with hope whenever he sais "you're going to hear a lot more about this in future lectures"

I've never been more thankful for invention of the internet!

Thank you Professor and Standford for sharing your lectures with the world so that someone like me who will never get to go to your prestigious school still gets to learn something from you.

He is probably the best teacher I've ever had. And I am technically not even in his class but just viewing thanks to RU-vid..

Back around 1978, I developed for my own use a theory, which I successfully put into practice, a method to quit smoking. I had been a smoker for 10 years, 3.5 to 4 packs a day. I quit once through "willpower".. cold turkey. That lasted about two months and then I still wanted badly to smoke, so I figured that this habit had been formed on a deeper level... not a physical addiction, so much as a psychological one. If I still wanted to smoke, where once I had no such desire (prior to developing the habit), then the trick was to re-train myself to NOT want to smoke. I reasoned that when I had re-trained my brain, that I would not smoke again, because I would not WANT to smoke. We do that which we want to and we do not do that which we do not want to do. Simple, right? So, I don't want to make this too long, but basically, I figured out that emotions are the key to motivation, and that I could actually generate emotions for the sole purpose of re-training that level of the brain where habits and preferences (avoidance / attraction) are stored, deep in the subconscious. Well, this is how I saw it, anyway. I had no training in medicine or psychology, but all of this seemed quite plausible to me. I was able to divide my self-identity into two parts.. a conscious administrative self, and a deeper, autonomic?, subconscious self. Emotion seemed to be the way to communicate between these two parts of the brain. Whereas most people seem to identify so strongly with their emotions and likes / dislikes, I understood that these likes / dislikes could be manipulated and formed by the waking, conscious, reasoning and administrative self, by the use of emotions. Theoretically, physical sensations would do the same, but I knew from personal experience that even physical discomfort can be "ignored" or over-ridden. Well, at any rate.. I formulated this theory and began to develop the steps to put it into practice. I could compare it a little bit to acting.. although I have never been involved in acting, but to my understanding, the really great actors can get so deeply involved in their role, that they become that person whom they are trying to portray. This is the second most difficult part, I suppose.. to learn to generate emotions which are unpleasant.. i.e. revulsion and disgust, and the awareness to keep this ball in play almost constantly, until the new habit is formed.. that being to dislike smoking. The first and possibly most difficult part is to become aware that you are NOT a compilation of emotions, likes and dislikes, but that you have a higher self which can make choices, and furthermore actually USE emotions as a way of communicating with the deeper mind.. Now I know that this is the "limbic" brain. And, it really is a matter of "garbage in / garbage out". I could go on, but I think you get the point. And, the good news is that the theory proved out and the method worked. I quit after two months of using this system on a daily basis. I also used positive reinforcement, by the way, but never anything like "will power", nor did I set a date. One day I found that I no longer wanted to smoke cigarettes and so when I reached that point, I simply stopped smoking. Now, that was 50 years ago and I have not had one cigarette since then. I had a few "smoking dreams", which seemed to have the purpose of reinforcing abstinence. I was always so relieved to wake up, realizing that I had not actually smoked a cigarette. Once more thing I have to say.. After I had succeeded, I had such an incredible rush of confidence and self approval. This was the unexpected but awesome reward I was so impressed with, just feeling on top of the world and totally free after feeling "owned" by this destructive and expensive habit for all these long years. And, back then, cigarettes were sixty cents a pack.. can you believe that? LOL

Watching these lectures for free is just crazy, it feels like stealing... They're sooo good!

I’m just a carpenter, I listen to these all day long while I work.

I have found these videos supremely useful for understanding my own biology and, inexplicably has helped me handle stressful situations better.

The limbic system is basically the source of most of our problems. Once we learn to tame it, a lot of things will improve for humans individually and as a collective.

I'm so immensely grateful Stanford are publishing so many lectures for free, and simultaneously Professor Robert Sapolsky. His incredible amount of research coupled with his pedagogic skills are just exceptional!

1:55 [NOISE OF HELPLESSNESS]

I studied functional neurology a few years ago; not only do these provide good review but also filled in a bunch of holes in my knowledge. One big hole was the limbic system.

It's stunning to think that just since this talk, to quote neuroscientists like Andrew Huberman, we've made more advances in neuroscience than in all the preceding centuries put together.

After my brain surgery, i was told that my Amygdala and Hippocampus were areas affected. Where is the switch for Humor? Prior to surgery i seriously did not experience humor. Now, Humor brings me more joy than anything, and it's so fun being alive. Yes, life is daunting, however, HUMOR is the reward for staying healthy in mind, body and soul. Life is full of Trade Offs. None of us gets everything!

This Prof is my hero - fantastic!! - Thank you Stanford for making these lectures available for the general public !!!!!!!!!

This man is a genius. He conveys his knowledge in such an interesting and clear way that I go into a flow state when I'm watching him. I also love his hilarious dry humor. That's another reason why he keeps me so engaged. The best kind of professor anyone could ask for.

Out of the 25 lectures I would say I find this most interesting and have listened to it three times and will probably listen to it again.

At over 60 years old, why else would I be watching. I try to watch all things Sapolsky and all things Susskind, at least. Though I am often sidetracked by other Stanford videos and video courses. I wish I had continued my education to the Piled -higher & Deeper level as originally planned. But Love got in the way of that and gave me a different though still wonderful life of learning. Now though that has past to a great degree and so with those passions quiescent I return to learning which, it turns out, is my greatest desire and has always been. It is what I describe as fun. Author Richard Bach made the convincing argument that we choose to live human lives for one or both of two reasons, to learn and to have fun. When learning IS fun then one has a most satisfactory life. Time spent away from actively pursuing these two objectives is time wasted unless what one does includes learning and fun as a part. Time spent bickering, outright fighting (physical or verbal), in hours of mindless drudgery which is work in which one finds no pleasure, or in other situations that have no novelty, but are simply rote ritual repetition are but stagnation. At the end of which one feels empty and wasted, stretched thin like “too little butter on too much bread”. At such a realization one is wont to die. Learning and having fun are our higher needs after the basics of Maslow’s Hierarchy. These are what lead to that pinnacle of his pyramid, self-actualization. And self-actualization is to me fully realized when one discovers that there is no self and is left simply with Actualization, or more aptly call “nirvana in this moment”. Other terms one might use are liberation, moksha, awakening, buddha-nature, the unborn, un-manifest, Brahman, Oversoul, Krishna Consciousness, so on and so forth; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera; und so writer; and … So, yes, I watch and listen carefully to these videos for fun. I hope you do, too.

This is so relaxing to listen to in the background while doing chores at home. I hadn't realized how much I learned from this until one friend mentioned the smiling experiment at a dinner and I told everyone how it's linked to the limbic system. Edit: 1 typo.

Solid rockstar delivery, excellent lecture.

I wish this message would get to Robert Sapolsky I want you to know I appreciate you making the videos these 25 lectures I have listened to many of them dozens of times I am a seventh grade dropout now 60 years old I have my own business and I love learning in my 20s I audited classes at a university because I did not get an education I wanted one very much so now I tell you thank you for making these videos. It is a dream come true for me to listen to your lectures and study upon them.

Dr. Sapolski is an incredibly gifted, knowledgeable teacher about the brain and neurology. I usually listen to his lectures twice to grasp everything.

deeply in love with the way he says "okay" like a valley girl big west coast energy

Plz, more prof. sapolski lecture, upload! i envy those stanford univ students who have opportunity to learn this amazing subject!!

Thanks for making this material freely available!

This man has to be the best lecturer who has ever lectured.

1. Mr Robert you are a wonderful professor! I wish we had that good professors in Greece too! I just wanted to add that “amygdala” for “almond” comes from Greek (αμύγδαλα) and “hippocampus” also derives from Greek (instead of Latin) for “ἱππόκαμπος”, "seahorse" from ἵππος hippos, "horse" and κάμπος kampos, "sea monster")

The part about muscle state feedback influencing your emotional state finally made me understand why I feel so relaxed when taking pain killers.

great teacher clear + humorous

What a privilege it is to be blessed with access to this knowledge and the standard thereof. My sincere thanks to you Robert Sapolsky for making this possible and for democratising knowledge using the tools we have today such as RU-vid. I also thank you for the fact that you posted so many of your lectures. I look forward to more of your witty and highly informative lectures. Sincere thanks.

Such a pleasure to listen an erudite to speak about his art. Masterful speech. Go Stanford.!.

Your amazing doc. I could, and often do, watch your classes all day. Thanks Google, Stanford and of course, Robert Sapolsky.

I appreciate the excellent presentation of knowledge, and the authentic positioning. Clearly Robert Sapolsky is a man to learn from, and has much to say.

I love listening to this dude. Could watch him all day. I feel he's the type of lecturer who's the difference between whether students 'get it' or flunk out.

I love listening to lectures while crocheting. His lecture is very fluid and easy to follow. Thanks for uploading this brilliant video.

Thank you dr Sapolsky. You explain it so easy for everyone, but at the same time all the information is there. Thank you Stanford for allowing us to see this amazings talks.

Thank you, Robert Sapolsky. Thank you, Stanford University.

He is holding a microphone during all of the time. Incredible

It's not Odin's curse, nor is it from greek mythology. It's Ondine's Curse based on Ondine, a female water sprite first named in the renaissance. And it wasn't her that was cursed, it was she who cursed her lover for being unfaithful :-)

SO glad that I stumbled upon Limbic system. My family, mother, son and 2 pets, were injured from 6 years in mold spores, with me sustaining tremendous injury. I have to thank you, and Annie Hopper and those who posted their personal stories

Truly makes a world of difference; as far as experience, retention, and enjoyment . When one is honestly interested in the subject matter of a lecture . It should also be noted that, this Professor has the knack for public speaking, keeping things moving and interesting. You can also tell he is making slight modifications based on the students reactions ie reading the room.

Man! What a lecture! Bow down to King Sapolsky.

it's not a real lecture without someone coughing the whole time.

First time I really understood James-Lange-theory, it's like I experienced this process live, so exciting and vivid the old-hippie styled prof explained it.

Stanford, Ive been binge watching, taking notes, send me the test, I want my degree.

Those ethology concepts applied to neurobiology are amazing! Wow!

Amazing professor, the best on the web ty

Omg I wish medical school lectures was this fun. This whole info was in 1 or 2 PowerPoint slide page and mentioned like 5 min in lectures. And we are expected to elaborate on his level during the exam 😂 I’m literally watching this video on my “break time”. It’s that entertaining

1:57 Professor Sapolsky is super adorable!

Fascinating that he qualifies the conclusions with the focus of initial inquiry. Bi-directional reasoning so often missing from research studies that are only deductive! Thanks!

Prof ..you are the best lecturer i have had the pleasure of listening to...such knowledge and diction.

Learned good deal and reinforced and corrected some of my thoughts

Robert Sapolsky is the best lecturer I have ever experienced. I mean, WOW! I will use all this information to help improve my work with Dementia patients and neurocognitive exams and also, given my chronic major depression, to give myself a break and accept that it is genuinely in my DNA. Thank you Stanford !

Love this guys classes. He moves along fluidly and just at the right place to keep your attention. Got it good ok moving on.

Picked up watching the series in 2020 with high school biology background only - and it’s freaking illuminating!)

This thing with emotions 01:18 is incredibly important for everyday life. Emotion as the qualia of your body state. Diminish your muscles tones (yoga and co) : you feel less anxious (this is one of the possibilities...). Move your arms, change your face, and this is already a body state hence a hint of emotions... Smile in your mirror 30 sec everyday (buddhism): your chronic emotional state changes for sure..

James Connolly, I totally agree with you, and I have worked on building sites for over forty years, who would have ever thought that I would be able to learn about the neural wiring of the Limbic system from such a great lecture, wish I'd done this sort of stuff at school, probably wouldn't be where I am now if I had been able to watch this when in my teens. Thankyou Stanford University and Robert Sapolsky, I'll log in to watch more of these in my spare time.

Thank you Robert! Spending time with your courses helped me understand way more than my lectures and text books in "behavioral neuroscience" !!

wonderful speaker! Happy to have the opportunity to see these videos from Romania!

The second half definitely deserves to be put into a TED talk.

March 17, 2019. Still discovering and learning. Andrews, NC. I love this guy.

"in the meantime, I will pantomime "bladder problem" " Please get this man a medal or something, he was so born for this, these videos are delightful.

Muchas gracias por compartir sus clases, soy estudiante de segundo en psicología y no sabia de que trataba el Sistema Limbico,. Me ayudo mucho a comprender el tema. GRACIAS desde México.

love this guy ,,thanks

Very thankful I have the ability to listen and learn from the brilliant minds of Stanford for free. Thank you thank you!

Wonderful lecture. Sapolsky is a great deliverer and I never experienced anything like this in medical school, with the exception of a couple teachers. Brilliant.

I love how multinational the comment section is. Frenchie here, btw.

smiling physiologically makes you feel better.... James lang--- thoughts physiology loop

This professor is so interesting to listen too! He truly has a gift to make you learn

I appreciate all you lectures. A wealth of knowledge.. great Professor 👑

Totally fell in love with this teacher

50:00 Very relevant information about the amygdala if you connect it to anti-social personality disorder...I qoute from a study I read about called Localisation of deformation within the amygdala in individuals with psychopathy; "Individuals with psychopathy showed significant bilateral volume reductions in the amygdala compered with controls". So it seems to be less volume in the anti social amygdala but the volume increases in us who have PTSD.

I loved college and grad school, I listen to this guy and it makes me feel like 20 again! But now, I’m more attentive

Robert Sopolsky much Thanks for this remarkable tutorial this was a truly refreshing crash course on making since of the Limpic system/ the nose brain in its time of studies.

I can’t imagine how much more enjoyable and stimulating high school would have been if any of my teachers had any resemblance of a sense of humour.

Holy crap. why did I do engineering semiconductors and all the crap. Looks like this is lot of important and still totally under-understood stuff.

I love that all of these lectures are so easily available nowadays. Imho, this is the best reason for the Internet to exist... Raising the overall IQ of the populace. So far, I'm enjoying this particular lecture... I'm stunned by all this information about the limbic system. I just thought it 'regulates breathing'. Definitely finding it all fascinating. And surely I can't be the only one who gets stoned and listens to university lectures because I actually enjoy them. ✌️ ~THC

I am a Colombo - Canadien guy who enjoys this amazing lectures by Robert Sapolsky. His books are equally amazing. It is not what he talks about, it is the way he delivers it.

i am in love!

I study Neuroscience at Sussex University in England, but I wish I could come to Stanford to be lectured by Saplosky.

I am fascinated with every lesson of his that I have watched

I am . Love watching this guys classes. Entertaining, informative, everything my teachers should have been!

"of great relevance to us as a fancy species..."

Anyone thought about Proust's madeleine, about the closeness of olfaction and emotions/memories ?

If all teachers were like this I would live. In lecture halls. Isn't it amazing how he never says uh er or pause to think. He has mastered his craft and has the knowledge. Wonderful information. Thanks for showing up today. Im curious as to what algorithm i have entered.

I am gobsmacked about this man's intelligence and his way of teaching these things. How can one person be this knowledgable?!?

@1:09:40 OMG!, I feel so valid listening to this

Interesting stuff for sure. I ended up on this site because I've been doing some research about the negative effects of long term marijuana use on the brain. I'm living proof that abuse of this organic plant can greatly cause several problems in the brain thus, leading me to learn that the limbic system becomes damaged. I grew up with a violent alcoholic father til age 7. I later in life around the age of 14-15yrs began using marijuana regularly just like an alcoholic thus developing emotional problems, short term memory loss, poor decision making, and several other issues.

Utterly fantastic professor and speaker. Love this.

Fascinating! So many helpful realities, ie., when I lay in bed each morning, I'm not eager to face the day. However, as soon as I stand, and straighten my Spine, I'm fine! I have been aware of this reality, months. Linking these two factors together gives me the inventive to set my alarm clock daily!