Book of the Week

Behave by Robert Sapolsky

Recommended by Krishnan Tombolis

Behave describes the real, scientifically proven biological processes that influence human behaviour. I would say that it is tailored towards people who are constantly puzzled and/or curious about the function of their brain and would like to learn about it succinctly and enjoyably. Additionally, this book can be used as a form of therapy for anyone experiencing intense emotional states as learning about why they occur can create a sense of security.

Behave goes into great detail on how and why humans behave in certain ways and how people’s behaviour has changed through evolution, cultural norms and psychology. In the initial stages of the book, we are provided with insight into how the brain works from a young age - explaining what neurons, hormones and genetics are. Afterwards, there is a primary focus on the three different layers of our brain: the reptilian, emotional and neocortex. The reptilian layer is the innermost core of our brain which is responsible for our body’s autonomic functions such as breathing and maintaining a constant body temperature. The emotional layer is the part of us that controls our emotions and our sense of morality.  The neocortex layer is responsible for our logical and abstract thinking - this is most unique in humans rather than other mammals. 

I particularly liked this book for the reason that, despite it only containing immutable facts, Sapolsky still made it feel like a story. The book is made up of a multitude of different parts, going over a range of topics, which felt like individual small stories, although sometimes this resulted in the absence of linkage between them. This meant that at times, there were opportunities to refer back to previous bits of information which in turn would further broaden the reader's understanding of the topic. However, Sapolsky's style of writing presents factual information in a way which is both thought provoking and conveys extensive amounts of knowledge to the reader easily.  This gave me a sense of accomplishment after finishing it as not only was I content with the way it was written, I could relay useful information from it effortlessly. It would have been interesting if Sapolsky had provided more examples of where and how we could use this information in different situations. Ultimately, the reader’s intention is to make use of what they read, especially if it is a nonfiction book which bears an accurate and truthful nature. 

I would recommend this book as it offers a great amount of information, insight and entertainment. It allows the reader to truly grasp the idea of why and how we do things in our everyday life, which is something most people wouldn’t pay attention to, despite it being very important in our lives.