Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science cover art

Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science

By: Robert Sapolsky, The Great Courses
Narrated by: The Great Courses
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £9.99

Buy Now for £9.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Understanding our humanity - the essence of who we are - is one of the deepest mysteries and biggest challenges in modern science. Why do we have bad moods? Why are we capable of having such strange dreams? How can metaphors in our language hold such sway on our actions?

As we learn more about the mechanisms of human behavior through evolutionary biology, neuroscience, anthropology, and other related fields, we're discovering just how intriguing the human species is. And while scientists are continually uncovering similarities between our behavior and that of other animals, they're also finding insights into everything that makes us unique from any other species.

Join an acclaimed neurobiologist, award-winning teacher, and MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" recipient in a series of 12 invigorating lectures that offer a surprising and undeniably fascinating study of what makes you you, journeying to the front lines of scientific research to gain a new perspective on the quirky nature of being ourselves. Professor Sapolsky explores our humanity by investigating mysterious and sometimes even mundane aspects of human behavior, including bad moods, nostalgia, and dreams, packing the lectures with stories of bold experiments and case studies that illuminate the intricacies of our behavior.

Thought-provoking, witty, and sometimes myth-shattering, this course is sure to have you thinking about and appreciating your life in novel ways.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses
Biological Sciences Witty Thought-Provoking
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers cover art
The Brain-Based Guide to Communicating Better cover art
Life in Our Universe cover art
Understanding Complexity cover art
Food: A Cultural Culinary History cover art
Understanding the Brain cover art
The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes cover art
Understanding the Misconceptions of Science cover art
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior cover art
The Dead Sea Scrolls cover art
The Story of Human Language cover art
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Daily Life cover art
The Molecule of More cover art
Dark Matter and Dark Energy cover art

What listeners say about Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    192
  • 4 Stars
    58
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    176
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    169
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and insightful.

A truly fascinating, brilliant course, delivered with passion and humour. The most interesting and enjoyable 'Great Courses' I have listened to.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator voice was hard to stay focused on.

Don't know why exactly, but I found myself zoning out of this a lot even thought the information was good. Good info though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Basic

Probably very good for very young entry level students. Unfortunately very basic for my level of knowledge.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting and engaging

Never boring. Covers many interesting aspects of human behavior from a scientific perspective. Engaging presentation style.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating, makes me want to understand more.

If you could sum up Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science in three words, what would they be?

Light bulb blinks

What was one of the most memorable moments of Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science?

Influence & impacts of stress

Have you listened to any of Professor Robert Sapolsky’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Wanted to but did not have the time, taken three sittings

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

highly recommended 5*

very engaging, funny, intelligent author with the intellect to explain his subject well with interesting and humorous examples, making this course easy to follow and understand. highly recommended 5*

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really interesting easy listening

All the lectures are varied and interesting if you have an enquiring mind it’s worth listening too

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Exemplary Sapolsky

Witty Smart Compassionate Teacher Who Can Convey Complex Science In The Most Accessible & Clear Manner. I Sat through 27 of his Stanford University Neuroscience Biology lectures on Human Behavioural Biology with next to no previous exposure to the. range of subjects he covers, perhaps for some rudimentary Psychology & Sociology stuff from University Nursing course. They were utterly compelling, I wasn't sure if these would be superfluous to those lectures, they are not - this is excellent work, imaginatively curated into a highly digestible format. Don't think twice stick it in your bag or wish list, share with your family, it is dynamite as they say.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science

Some extremely insightful examinations on human behaviour, accompanied by wonderfully engaging illustrations leaving you wanting more. Needless to say his narration is fluid and dynamic. Gratz good production.

Presented for audiences on multiple levels of experience, from zero to semi hero!

This guy understands stress on a binary biological level, and explains it seemingly effortlessly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply brilliant

Fun facts, tied together into 12 different fascinating stories of what it means (or may not mean) to be human. What's not to like?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful