The Shocking New Science Of How To Manage Your Stress - Dr Robert Sapolsky 

Hello you beauties. Access all episodes 10 hours earlier than RU-vid by Subscribing on Spotify - spoti.fi/2LSimPn. Here’s the timestamps: 00:00 What Robert Wished People Knew About Stress 06:00 Where is the Threshold of Short-Term Stress Becoming Long-Term? 12:29 How Brain Development is Influenced by Mother’s Socioeconomic Status 25:50 Does Your Stress Impact Your Descendants? 29:00 Finding Solutions to Manage Stress 35:52 How to Better Enjoy the Good Things in Life 42:50 Can You Actually Detox from Dopamine? 53:18 Why Robert Wanted to Study Our Lack of Free Will 1:01:46 How Having No Conscious Agency Impacts Justice 1:11:10 The Myth of the Self-Made Man 1:32:43 How to Acknowledge Your Lack of Agency & Not Feel Depressed 1:40:22 Where to Find Robert

I could listen to Robert Sapolsky all day. “It’s not the pursuit of happiness, but it’s the happiness of the pursuit.” Love that.

I love how this podcast is slowly turning into a course on applied evolutionary psychology.

I love how Dr Sapolsky is recording this episode in his kitchen complete with family member and dog cameos. He seems to be such a grounded and wise human being. Thank you so much for the work that you both do!

I haven't seen Sapolski smile so much in an interview. Great job, Chris.

Whenever I hear this man talk, I feel like I'm being spoken to and understood by someone who really cares about my wellbeing.

Finally a podcaster who respects the guest and lets him talk! I love it! Thank you!

Sapolsky is a legend and neurobiology rockstar. Just an amazing researcher and science communicator. Always a joy to see him on a podcast.

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🧠 Stress has detrimental effects on the brain, reducing empathy and tolerance, leading to a self-centered focus. 01:09 🧾 The anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region, is key to understanding and interpreting pain in oneself and others. 03:09 💔 Stress diminishes empathy, generosity, and moral compass, impacting how we relate to others and narrowing our concerns to a self-centric focus. 04:18 🎭 Stress challenges the notion of free will, emphasizing the role of environment and biology in shaping behavior and responses to stressors. 06:16 ⏳ Short-term stress is a biological response to immediate threats, while chronic stress leads to detrimental health effects, requiring attention to societal, cultural, and personal factors. 11:10 📺 Continuous exposure to global crises and catastrophes through media can significantly impact our stress responses and overall well-being. 15:57 🤰 A mother's socioeconomic status and stress during pregnancy can epigenetically influence a fetus, affecting brain development and long-term health outcomes. 20:08 🧬 Genetic predispositions interact with environmental factors, such as childhood stress, determining vulnerability to mental health conditions like depression. 22:09 🧪 Behavioral genetics emphasizes that genes interact with the environment, illustrating the complexity of how genes influence behavior and outcomes. 24:38 🔧 Epigenetics highlights the enduring impact of experiences on gene regulation, influencing health, behavior, and disease risks across the lifespan. 25:33 🧬 The regulation of genes and their interaction with the environment is more fascinating than the genes themselves. 25:49 🧠 Stress and bad experiences can leave lasting effects not only on individuals but potentially on future generations. 26:16 🧪 Environmental factors can influence gene regulation, impacting how individuals raise their children and pass on cultural values and neuroses. 27:12 💡 Stress during fetal life can cause epigenetic changes in the amygdala, affecting fear and anxiety responses in adulthood. 27:50 🔄 Epigenetic changes can be reversed through appropriate therapeutic interventions, modifying gene regulation and brain function. 28:17 👶 Multigenerational transmission of adverse regulatory consequences for genes can occur through parenting styles and environmental factors. 29:00 💡 Strategies to reduce stress should focus on control, predictability, outlets for frustration, and social support. 29:39 ⏸️ Stress management techniques should be personalized, enjoyable, and integrated into daily routines to be effective. 30:33 🔑 Cultivating a sense of control, predictability, and social support can mitigate the effects of stress on mental well-being. 31:30 🌟 Providing predictive information and a sense of control can buffer against stress, enhancing coping strategies in mild to moderate stressors. 33:19 🌿 Regularly engaging in stress-reducing activities and valuing one's well-being are essential for effective stress management. 34:25 🕰️ Setting aside dedicated time for stress management activities is crucial, prioritizing personal well-being in daily routines. 35:07 😄 Enjoying the chosen stress management technique is essential for its effectiveness, focusing on individual preferences and interests. 35:47 🚀 Avoiding stress management techniques that don't resonate with you is crucial, as forcing oneself into ineffective methods may exacerbate stress. 36:43 🎉 Creating positive experiences and savoring moments of joy can counteract habituation to pleasurable stimuli, extending their positive impact. 37:37 🤯 Dopamine is more about anticipation and striving than the actual reward, driving our motivation and excitement towards future possibilities. 39:26 ⚖️ Our constant pursuit of more and better is rooted in dopamine-driven anticipation, a fundamental aspect of human behavior and innovation. 45:11 🔀 Introducing uncertainty or the possibility of reward amplifies dopamine levels, emphasizing the role of uncertainty in driving motivation and anticipation. 49:34 💫 Humans have a unique ability to sustain anticipatory dopamine levels, envisioning future rewards and motivations beyond immediate gratification. 50:16 🔄 The pursuit and anticipation of future events or rewards drive much of human behavior, highlighting the value we place on anticipation and striving. 51:11 🧠 Stress & Dopamine Detraining: Detraining from dopamine can occur by reducing stimuli for about 30 days, potentially resetting the brain's response and impacting pleasure perception. 51:52 🧬 Individual Variation in Dopamine: Factors like early life stress, genetics, and neural makeup influence dopamine production and its impact on pleasure and anticipation. 53:15 💭 Understanding Individual Differences: Each person's dopamine system works differently due to a mix of genetics, life experiences, and environmental factors, affecting responses to stimuli. 54:00 🕊️ Discovering Lack of Free Will: A personal realization during adolescence led Dr. Sapolsky to the belief that there's no free will, which has influenced his work and writing. 56:27 🌍 Embracing Determinism: Dr. Sapolsky advocates that humans are a sum of biology and environmental interactions, lacking fundamental control, challenging conventional notions of free will. 57:20 ⚖️ Rethinking Criminal Justice: The current criminal justice system is flawed, punishing individuals for actions over which they had no control, needing a transformation to a more rational approach. 01:11:16 💼 Challenging Meritocracy: Meritocracy perpetuates entitlement by rewarding attributes individuals did not choose, necessitating a reevaluation of societal values and systems. 01:13:34 🌌 Grappling with Reality: Accepting the lack of control over one's efforts and desires can be disheartening, but it paves the way for a more nuanced understanding of human existence. 01:14:18 🧠 The importance of competent individuals, like neurosurgeons, necessitates appropriate incentives and training. 01:19:51 🌍 Realizing we are products of chance and circumstance can lead to a more humane understanding of individuals and their circumstances. 01:27:17 💡 Incremental actions challenging our sense of entitlement can promote a shift in how we perceive success and responsibility. 01:37:33 🧠 Mindfulness involves stringing together mindful moments, achievable through practice and repetition, leading to a more present and less judgmental mindset. 01:38:13 🤔 Applying the concept of incremental change to the understanding of free will, acknowledging the potential for reform and a shift in perspective towards others and circumstances. 01:39:07 ❤️ Striving to let go of hatred and resentment by recognizing the lack of free will and viewing individuals and their actions with understanding and empathy.

Among my favourite Professors. Love this man's recorded Stanford lectures on YT.

I am currently a graduate student doing neuroendocrinology research and it is largely due to the influence that Robert Sapolsky's work has had on my thinking and interests. Great interview with one of the best science communicators there is.

Regarding the free will discussion and problem with lack of feeling of accomplishment: the solution is to replace pride with gratitude.

That explains a lot. My grandma punched my mom in the stomach while pregnant with me. I witnessed my parents fight just around the time I started to walk. Parents divorced at 5 years old. Narcissistic abusive stepdad comes in the picture around 6 years old. More domestic violence and abuse continued all the way til I was 17 years old. I’m 28 now and still try not to let my past overcome my present moment. I’m sure there are many people with similar stories. I truly sympathize with people that have come from broken homes when all you know is chaos and stress. What’s done is done, all we can do is learn and practice ways to become stronger. Accepting God in my life has been a life changer for me. We all need to have some faith to follow.

Dr. Sapolsky is so awesome. He gives off this wise older uncle vibe who's evolved beyond the mundane and trivial and become a beacon of wisdom and kindness. Could listen endlessly to him speaking. He's a seeker of knowledge for the joy of knowledge itself.

Dr. Sapolsky is a legend!! Thank you for interviewing him! ❤

I chose truck driving, got rid of debt, increased exercise, and stopped eating so much processed food. Took a little time but eventually stress dropped significantly.

Thank you for having Dr. Sapolsky on! He is an important scholar. As someone who spent a lifetime thinking and reading about subjects like "free will," I came to the same conclusion as Dr. Sapolsky, and for the same reasons. All of his examples boil down to the reality of the physical world - there are only two types of actions - indeterministic and deterministic. Indeterministic (random) are outside of our control by definition in that if they were controllable, they'd be predictable, and, of course "random" requires unpredictability. Deterministic - those that evolve according to the laws of Physics. For these, if you don't control the initial state, you can't control any subsequent states. All subsequent states are determined by previous states. Brains are just physical matter and must evolve according to the laws of Physics, so any current brain states are just an evolution of previous brains states, all of which are outside of your control. No matter what combination of indeterminism and determinism are involved in any particular action, there is no room for this "magical" free will to shoe horn in and assert control. Once you really understand this is the way it MUST work, then it is liberating. I find myself incapable of getting angry at criminal behavior I read in the news, for example. I don't get angry at murderers. Of course, we still need to protect society from them, so they may need to be incarcerated. But, we shouldn't try to make their lives a living hell in prison. We should treat them like any other human being - with empathy. They didn't ask for their lives to turn them into that. I also find myself less likely to pat myself on the back for my accomplishments. I'm not responsible for my capabilities.

I love Dr. Sapolsky. So much passion for his work and so much heart and empathy... There's something incredibly endearing to me about an expert in his field who readily admits that his work has raised more questions than it has provided answers... The fact that he doesn't insert himself as some sort of guru is so refreshing. If you haven't read his book, 'A Primate's Memoir', you're missing out.

Great episode! I especially love the quote, "A relationship is the price you pay for the anticipation of it." In some way, I think this is part of the uphill battle with internet dating: we see all the best photos and considered statements about someone's personality, message and talk on the phone with them - ramping up the anticipation to an unrealistic amount - to then find they are an average person. The date has already been oversold before you've even met. Whereas meeting someone at work or in IRL, for the most part, avoids this problem.

Dr. Sapolsky is brilliant and I often watch his lectures online for inspiration in my own lecturing. He's the college professor's professor. Mad respect for this man.

Sapolsky is a legend. His lectures are the best online.

Omg, what a wonderful surprise this is! I didn’t think we would see much more of the GREAT Robert Sapolsky! ❤

Thanks Dr. Sapolsky. Thanks to your wife too. I was challenged and I sat through many years and hours of your lectures and work. Yes. It was worth every moment.

Real gentlman and scientist.....15 years ago I have sent him some data on Croatian war veterans asking for his opinion...He replied immediately together with unpublished version of his new article...World needs more people like dr. Sapolsky❤

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:28 🧠 Stress impacts empathy: Stress narrows your focus and reduces empathy, making you less tolerant and less willing to consider others' perspectives, primarily affecting the anterior cingulate cortex in the brain. 02:56 🤝 Stress reduces generosity: Stress makes people less generous, more likely to cheat, and less morally inclined, leading to a focus on self-interest and a diminished range of concern for others. 05:49 💭 The role of agency in stress: Stress is not just an external force; it depends on our perception of agency and control. Dr. Sapolsky suggests that free will is a myth, and our experiences are shaped by biology and environment. 08:48 ⏳ Short-term vs. long-term stress: The impact of stress depends on various factors, including individual differences, cultural context, and species. Short-term stress can be useful, but chronic stress can be detrimental to health. 15:57 🧬 Socioeconomic status and fetal brain development: A mother's socioeconomic status can impact a fetus's brain development through the transmission of stress hormones, potentially affecting cognitive and emotional functions in later life. 25:33 🧬 Genes are less interesting than their regulation and how the environment changes gene regulation. Stress and anxiety can lead to epigenetic changes in genes, affecting future generations. 26:16 🧠 Our experiences as adults can influence how we raise our children and pass on cultural values and behaviors. 28:31 ⚙️ Multigenerational epigenetic changes can occur due to stress during fetal development and continue to affect future generations, but interventions can mitigate these effects. 30:06 🤔 Psychological stress is not just about external circumstances but also about the perception of control, predictability, and social support. 42:39 💭 To extend the duration of pleasure from experiences, one can practice mindfulness, savor the moment, and focus on helping others experience similar joys. 51:11 🧠 Understanding the brain's response to dopamine and stimulus can help us manage stress and pleasure. 53:42 🤔 Dr. Sapolsky believes that there is no free will and discusses the impact of this belief on society. 57:20 🚀 The concept of free will is animated because it challenges our fundamental beliefs about responsibility and punishment. 01:02:10 🛡️ Dr. Sapolsky suggests that the criminal justice system needs to be reformed, moving away from punishment and towards containment and addressing root causes. 01:11:31 ⚖️ The idea of meritocracy is challenged, as Dr. Sapolsky argues that we often reward people for factors beyond their control, which can lead to entitlement and injustice. 01:14:18 🧠 Understanding free will and determinism: Dr. Robert Sapolsky discusses the concept of free will, emphasizing that our behavior is shaped by biological factors and environmental influences, challenging the traditional notion of personal responsibility. 01:25:51 🌍 The humane implications of recognizing lack of free will: Sapolsky highlights that acknowledging the lack of free will can lead to a more compassionate world, where people realize that many aspects of their lives are the result of chance. 01:30:58 🤔 Challenging the sense of entitlement: Sapolsky suggests that recognizing the role of chance in our lives can help reduce entitlement and encourage individuals to consider the needs of others equally. 01:33:54 🙌 Taking small steps towards rejecting free will: Sapolsky advises taking incremental actions like practicing random acts of kindness or reconsidering judgments to gradually shift one's perspective on free will. 01:37:06 ⏳ Continuously integrating insights: Similar to mindfulness, Sapolsky suggests that consistently revisiting and applying these insights into our daily lives can help create a more thoughtful and compassionate existence. 01:37:21 🧘 Mindfulness and stringing together moments: Similar to mindfulness, embracing the concept of lack of free will involves stringing together individual instances where we recognize the role of chance and practice non-judgment. 01:38:13 🚀 Incremental reform vs. revolution: While recognizing the absence of free will may seem revolutionary, Sapolsky suggests that implementing this perspective in small, reformist ways on a daily basis can help reduce hatred and judgment. 01:38:54 🌌 Exploring altered states of consciousness: Sapolsky humorously suggests that experimenting with heavy psychedelics might provide insights into the nature of free will. 01:39:36 💔 Letting go of hatred: Sapolsky advocates for finding ways to let go of hatred and resentment towards individuals like Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin, aligning with the idea that it makes as little sense to hate them as it does to hate a volcano. Made with HARPA AI

As a nurse I know and see how stress effects people everyday and ppl brush it off because stress doesnt have a "face" as in people can look fine and be under stressed.

Robert Sapolsky is a legend. Thank you for interviewing this fabulous teacher!!!

Man I love Robert Sapolsky... His lectures available on Stanford channel are awesome 👌

Such a musical, eloquent articulation: I am beholden to Sapolsky, my Guru.

So excited to see a new interview with Robert Sapolsky. Thanks Chris!

Absolutely love Dr. Sapolsky! So glad you got to do this interview, thank you!

Chris, I’ve been watching your videos for a couple years now all of them helping me to shape the person I am today. At this point, I consider your videos valuable for life. Thank you, Professor Chris.

I love watching lectures and interviews with Sapolsky. Brilliant.

What a legend Sapolsky. And Chris the best person to do this. Awesome.

One of the ironies of "no free will" is that correction and incentives work. So if we treat people and ourselves as if we have free will and thus we must discipline ourselves to do exercise we WILL modify behaviour as if we had free will to do so. Coupled with that if you BELIEVE you have free will you mind can come up with the erroneous result that you do and this result is you finally going to the gym. There are so many advantages to believing in free will regardless of the truth of it. Also INCENTIVES work in a free will or no free will situation so setting up incentives as if you have free will regardless of the truth, will result in people achieving better results. So you have to set up society with incentives to reward those people lucky enough to have all the pieces in place to be successful as if free will exists. This is the major problem with "No free will / Free will" debate is that it becomes almost a pointless discussion. And the best defense is I don't believe we have no free will and it is not my fault for believing in free will so you might as well shut up about it. Also look how no free will people talk, "Once a week when you are about to judge someone harshly don't." That entire sentence it incoherent dribble if we have no free will. How do you "Don't or Do" if you have no free will? Exactly how do you act incrementally if you have no free will at all? The fact that no free will proponents have no way of expression expect using terms that require you the person to exercise free will show exactly how hollow their arguments are in terms of PRACTICAL use. Regardless of the truth of the claims we must ACT as if we have free will.

This man is such an inspiration for humanity 🙏🏼

Thankes for the wonderful conversation with Robert Sapolsky! His Stanford lectures on the human evolution of behaviour are legendary. He gives so many examples, it is mindblowing and overwhelming. Love to see the man at his best today.

I’ve enjoyed MANY of your podcasts now, but this was so much better than any other!

"It's not the pursuit of happiness, it is the happiness of the pursuit." Exactly. Basically retelling the old wisdom: Life is about the journey, not the destination. Still, I like his way better, sounds like more people would be able to grasp this wording. Totally gonna say this, with proper reference. Personally, I learned the truth about chasing when I kicked a stim habit back when I was 19. The secret to a total recovery for me was to find something I wanted so badly that nothing could stop me. Then go for it. Like Chris says, "Just do the thing."

This is a pure blessing to listen to. Professor has an incredible mind. Thank you both.

I have also come to the realization that we have no free will. It’s great to hear this from an admired scholar! If I said this to others in my circle, it would upset them. I had been pushing myself to succeed financially for years, burned out my thyroid, almost ruined all my relationships, and neglected my health. After finding very little success I consider myself lucky to have ended up a little wiser than when I started. At first I was angry and depressed about it. But, I can still find joy. For me, joy never occurs in a profitable way. Much the opposite! 😂

This is awesome! I love listening to/watching Dr. Sapolsky. I found the videos of his lectures at Stanford on youtube several years ago and I was hooked. To me, those are the REAL red pill (all of the "buckets", not just sexual dynamics or economics of relationships type stuff that seems to be what most of the channels focus on). And its meant for everyone, women and men. I've watched them all, (including anything else I could find from him) at least 3 times from the first class to the last. Theres so much information to absorb. Anyway, thank you Chris and Dr. Sapolsky for a great interview!

This was an amazing interview! Such insight. I especially like the part where meritocracy is questioned. I have reflected on this a lot. When I was young, and much worse off in life, I leaned towards success in life being mostly about luck. Then, when I was becoming quite successful, I started thinking success was much more due to ones own efforts. Lately, as I've reflected even more on it, I am once again back to thinking it's largely about luck. And I fully recognize how privilaged I am. And the greatest privilage of all is that I was born in a wealthy western country. Had I been born in a poor country, or 100 years ago, I would not have been able to accomplich much in life I think. I hope you bring Robert back for a second interview at some point.

I can’t get enough of Dr Sapolsky…thank you for a great interview! Will be watching more of your podcasts…

Thank you Chris for this amazing podcast , absolutely love your content .

For years around 2 a.m. the RU-vid algorithm has fed me Robert Sapolsky's Stanford lectures... So this is right on time. 🤘

This is easily one of the best talks I have watched this year. Thank you to both of you and everyone who helped make this available to humans around the globe.

So good see Dr Sapolski again, his YT videos from Uni help me a lot long time ago to deal with myself. I love him❤ thanks

Thanks so much Dr. Sapolsky and Mr Williamson for providing this information. I'm in a relationship with someone who has experienced some trauma and want to apply some of these insights into helping her heal.

Brilliant conversation to watch. Both of you shined. What a pleasure. Thanks.

I've discovered that all my suffering is: difficult feelings and the resistance to those difficult feelings. The problem is that when distracted, it happens subconsciously (automatically). The solution is to remain conscious of it, in the now, welcoming and handling it instead of resisting it

Fascinating episode! A great companion to Sam’s thinking. Pre-ordered the book. Thanks 🙏🏼

Amazing Sapolsky! Simply amazing. Modern wisdom bringing actual MODERN wisdom! And honestly, very well done Chris, you are making great progress (through no free will of you own 😂).

Robert Sapolsky is my spirit animal!!!

I love Dr. Sapolsky!

I only recently found your channel and I canned get enough. Great fascinating conversations ❤❤

So helpful. Thank you so very much ! Made things very clear. Especially about passing the issue inter generation wise

I suppose one of the scarey possibilities of the "no free will" argument is that, if people see people as machines without free will, that "shutting down" (i.e. unalive them) bad people seems more reasonable. This is what we do with wild animals who attack people. We don't put dangerous wild animals in prison, we kill them to prevent more attacks. If there were robots walking around and some of them were dangerous, we wouldn't put them in prison, we'd just shut them off permanently.

22:55 I don't think it's a matter of digging 8 hours without back pain, I think it's more of a matter of being able to dig through 8 hours of back pain.

This is the BEST BAR NONE!!! I was so happy to hear this comprehensive explanation on the HUGE effect of NURTURE which is constantly downplayed. THANK YOU😊😊😊😊😊

Everyone should hear this!! Thank you🙏

One big problem that I see with Sam Harris and Robert discussing freewill is a failure to distinguish fault and responsibility, determinism removes fault but maintains responsibility

One of the first teachers on YT, that I couldn't get enough of. Human Behavior Stanton - learned from those 25 x ca 100 minutes than from 12 years of "real" school.

What a fantastic teacher. Someone I would chose to follow.

im so happy the teachers are sharing the knowledge for free online

What a great surprise! Behave is my absolute favorite nonfiction book, and I never get tired of listening to Sapolsky. Chris is doing an excellent job at creating an unique podcast for those interested in psychology and neuroscience. Btw, I would love to see Haidt here too.

Chris Williamson. You are an excellent interviewer. Thanks. Your last words are profound.

Wonderful Robert Sapolsky, thank you for this great interview and informative questions.

I read Behave, without knowing very much about the brain and behavior. It was a great book. It takes some effort, but it is very rewarding, especially if you have had a traumatic childhood. It helped me to realise the reason why I am the way I am.

At about 11:00 they make the point about a baby's brain development being affected by the mother's social status. Is that more the status itself or the mother's _interpretation_ of it?

Really enjoyed this. Thank you both.

This isn't gold. This is an entire mine of precious everything. Thank you both for everything ❤

Looking forward to this podcast with much older huberman

I've first seen sapolsky in stanford youtube channel and I was amazed with the opportunity to have those courses free, I am in deep gratitude that I live in a time where this information is free halfway across the globe and how this person lectures is amazingly organic and passionate, even the way he speaks has a beneficial stress relieve effect. best wishes

Understanding we don't have free will in the way we've thought about it doesn't mean you won't feel accomplished in pursuing a goal. Our brain rewards us with dopamine as a result. Still, the drive to want to make something of one's life is influenced by mechanisms beyond any individual's free will. I don't see this as devastating news but rather liberating. Like Sapolsky said, "It isn't the pursuit of happiness, it's the happiness of the pursuit."

I really liked Sapolsky's lecture on chronic depression. Interestingly, I am unconvinced by many of his arguments in this discussion. I notice a strong maternal/empathic interpretation of the subject matter despite his employment of several ironically cold and logical statements. This is reasonable cause for suspicion that this natural bias is driving his arguments toward those conclusions. Claiming that nobody has free choice cannot be used as a strong argument for trying to alter anyone's behaviors. If nobody has free choice then nobody can alter behaviors by choice. This includes responsive behaviors. I.e. if criminals can't stop committing crimes then law enforcers can't stop punishing them. They are both contained within the same system.

Looking at the world through reasoned will vs free is a game changer. It’s a whole new level of humility.

❣️🌎 Every single moment is wonderful in our life ☀️✨️🪂 Thank you for warm and peace 🌍❣️

Dr sapolsky we ❤you and need more of you. Upvote this

Hope everyone finds mental fortitude and equanimity 🤝

Socio economic status also effects the likley hood of your mother smoking, drinking and generally not taking care of herself. Which id be inclined to believe is the real mechanism behind the findings in the early part of this lecture.. because thats what we are lucky enough to be getting in this awesome pod cast. 👍🏻

Chris, thank you for the excellent interview of Robert Sapolsky -- the best I've seen -- who I greatly enjoy listening to/reading. Your wit and humour really brought the conversation to a higher level.

I shall use my freewill to not judge others for their lack of freewill and disposition in life.

Great episode as always. It'd be interesting to hear Sapolsky and Peterson discuss free will. He's making a lot of sense but so does Peterson when encouraging the adoption of responsibility. I'm struggling to reconcile the two as it seems like they maybe conflicting views as far as meaning is concerned.

Incredible interviewer. Glad you let the guest talk. Thought he sounded utterly ridiculous.. haha. Love the podcast!

Mind-blowing stuff. Amazing episode man!

Listening and watching Dr. Sapolsky relieves all my stress :)

I respectfully think we have some free will. Even Mr.Sapolsky ask the question: how should we act if we don’t have free will? If so, the question doesn’t mean anything because we already act that way and can’t act otherwise. If we had absolutely no free will, we would act on every single impulse and idea, emotion we have. If we have no free will, we are nothing but an automation or algorithm, which only differs an average toaster in the volume of the computation and nothing else. We would just be a complicated,moisty toaster running on water, sugar and fat, unable to stop making toasts. Humans can do things, which every single cell of his body protests against, yet can still do it. Let’s say you move your left or right hand. I often think about the absolute first instance an action starts inside your brain at the sub-Planck sizes. If we could see something seemingly activating on its own, we could tell if there is free will or not, but science is not at this point of advancement yet. If there is no free will and everything is determined, and therefore everything is meaningless, how can one avoid the idea of a fate waiting just for you to happen, or an idea of god being behind it? If there is a fate for you, it is the meaning of everything and I don’t think one could circle around that. If it’s all determined and meaningless and there is no fate, that means everything is absolutely random and without structure or purpose, it would mean nothing matters, and you can do anything you want and it will be okay. Certainly neither is the case. If we were nothing more than I described, people would be totally okay in living a Brave New World-like dystopia where we can satisfy all our animalistic needs in an infantile way and absolutely love it. People also want freedom of all kinds, but we should ask, what do we actually want freedom from? We often want freedom of our bodily reactions, how can we only be a complicated toaster if that’s possible? I think reading Ernest Becker and Carl Jung for example explain clearly that we are more than a non-dualistic meat machine locked up in the prison of all possible circumstance. I also think we have very little free will and it varies from person to person. But the difference between a person and a robot is that little, and an advanced AI could be an actual human if it weren’t for that. We are unique because the idea or problem of existence became conscious in us, which is a paradox, since the universe created a life form which is capable of thinking of the universe and also itself. How weird is it, that photons and sounds would be absolutely useless, if there wasn’t a form of life to experience it? There is a kind of structure and not everything is just random, and even if very little, we must have some form of free will. If something “is”, it doesn’t mean it was “ought” to be. We could not improve ourselves and it would be okay to judge someone in any moment of bad behavior to be determined by his badness and one cannot be corrected. Free will is so real, that it can even change a person completely in some cases. For example: having to do something that is forced on you or can’t escape is certainly different than facing things on your own accords. And if free will is nothing but an illusion, why would the being of such a moist machine would be so unbearable that it was always going to be so hard that free will as a working and healing mechanism was always determined to happen, and free will was just there in its frozen state waiting for his future? What is even the part which suffers from the lack of freedom in the prison of the body? Which two parts are contradicted by each other in your psyche and body? Either way, saying there is no free will imo runs into contradicting logical conclusions and can only be a form of belief as we can’t be certain about it, and things are usually not tabula rasa, black or white, 100% this or that. But i’m not qualified to judge the great Robert Sapolsky in any way to be honest, and I was just sharing my idea and continuing to enjoy his works and ideas.

The problem with getting rid of merit and free will is that there are clearly people who WORK HARD and STUDY and THINK that will do better than those who do not work, study or think. Unlike a car with bad breaks, a person can improve capabilities without needing an external force to fix it.

Excelllent interview, thank you!

I don’t think we really have to worry about people being de incentivized. Superior ability whether it’s athletic ability or intellectual ability tends to be self rewarding. The ability to do the amazing thing is your reward. The reward for the ability to make amazing music is making amazing music. It feels super great to do things you’re good at.

The irony is The moment you realize you don’t have free will is actually the moment you realize you have free will.

You'd also need penalties for the basis of deterrence. Both deterring that person from doing again (when they are not in jail or killed), and deterring others.

This podcast episode helps me. Thank you.

Dr. Sapolsky is an amazing human being. This was a wonderful interview.

Oh man I've been waiting for this

The assertion is that low socio-economic status influences fetuses to have higher levels of stress hormones, less impulse control etc. What if people that already have low impulse control couldn't climb the socio-economic ladder due to the inability to delay gratification and just left that to the offspring in the genes?

Of course robert has the best microphone in the business...in his house. Good work

I took up piano 8 years ago at 50 years old. I didn't do it to reduce my stress but if it would good, I thought. It has to be one of the most stress inducing things in my life. I still do It. I won't stop. I enjoy it more now then years ago. My recommendation for stress: stretching, slow breathing.

I think a simpler solution to economic equality is recognition that envy is the core issue, not that others have more. if economic equality were achieved, it would turn into fixations on other inequalities, like social skill, height, beauty, and so on. what we should strive for is an economic system that reflects fairness. I personally like the idea of a pay equation with common factors that apply to all types of work, like time/travel, skill/knowledge, environment (better pay in more dangerous/uncomfortable environments), social (rating from customers n coworkers), and maybe a few others. flat income turns into little incentive to work hard or even work at all. the less our society works, the less services and products available... all to try n offset their sense of envy. Those with rarer skills are of more value, since most of us can't do what they do. same as those that work longer and harder. its rational to reward these behaviors, which also incentivizes others to do the same.