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ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY
HUMANIST GALAXY
OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS
ROBERT SAPOLSKY
July 17, 2021
WHY ZEBRAS DON'T GET ULCERS:
by Robert M. Sapolsky
Holt Paperback/Owl Book, 2004,
3rd edition, revised and updated,
(i-v, 539 pages)
Quote = "Regardless of how poorly we are getting along with a family member or how incensed we are about losing a parking spot, we rarely settle that sort of thing with a fistfight... Essentially, we humans live well enough and long enough, and are smart enough, to generate all sorts of stressful events purely in our heads... And if someone spends months on end twisting his innards in anxiety, anger, and tension over some emotional problem, this might very well lead to illness." (By the author, Robert Sapolsky, from the Excerpt)
Quote = "The book explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, heart disease, and more." (From the publisher's blurb)
BOOK OUTLINE
note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages
PREFACE (xi-iv)
1) WHY DON'T ZEBRAS GET ULCERS? (1-18)
2) GLANDS, GOOSEFLESH, AND HORMONES (19-36)
3) STROKE, HEART ATTACKS, AND VOODOO DEATH (37-56)
4) STRESS, METABOLISM, AND LIQUIDATING YOUR ASSETS (57-70)
5) ULCERS, THE RUNS, AND HOT FUDGE SUNDAES (71-91)
6) DWARFISM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTHERS (92-119)
7) SEX AND REPRODUCTION (120-143)
8) IMMUNITY, STRESS, AND DISEASE (144-185)
9) STRESS AND PAIN (186-201)
10) STRESS AND MEMORY (202-225)
11) STRESS AND A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP (226-238)
12) AGING AND DEATH (239-251)
13) WHY IS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS STRESSFUL? (252-270)
14) STRESS AND DEPRESSION (271-308)
15) PERSONALITY, TEMPERAMENT, AND THEIR STRESS-RELATED CONSEQUENCES (309-334)
16) JUNKIES, ADRENALINE JUNKIES, AND PLEASURE (335-352)
17) THE VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM (353-383)
18) MANAGING STRESS (384-418)
NOTES (419-515)
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS (517-519)
INDEX (521-539)
AUTHOR NOTE, SUMMARY,
AND BOOK DESCRIPTION
AUTHOR NOTE = Robert M. Sapolsky is a Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford and a Research Associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. He is the author of The Trouble with Testosterone and A Primate's Memoir, both Los Angeles Times Book Award finalists. A regular contributor to Discover and The Sciences and a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, Sapolsky lives in San Francisco, California. – Bowker Author Biography.
SUMMARY = Renowned primatologist Robert Sapolsky offers a completely revised and updated edition of his most popular work. Now in its third edition, the book features new chapters on how stress affects sleep and addiction, as well as new insights into anxiety and personality disorder and the impact of spirituality on managing stress.
BOOK DESCRIPTION = As Sapolsky explains, most of us do not lie awake at night worrying about whether we have leprosy or malaria. Instead, the diseases we fear --- and the ones that plague us now --- are illnesses brought on by the slow accumulation of damage, such as heart disease and cancer. When we worry or experience stress, our body turns on the same physiological responses that animals do, but we do not resolve conflict in the same way they do. They fight or flee. Over time, the activation of the stress response can make us genuinely sick.
This acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping combines cutting-edge research with a healthy dose of good humor and practical advice, The book explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, heart disease, and more. It also provides essential guidance to controlling our stress responses.
This new edition promises to be the most comprehensive and engaging one yet.
AMAZON BOOK REVIEWS
[1] Paige - I have recommended this book to people on more than one occasion = I purchased this book for a mental health and stress education course. It was so interesting and the only "textbook" I looked forward to reading. I have recommended this book to people on more than one occasion! Each chapter has a way of describing the complexity of things as well as putting them in very simple terms to better understand. It often refers back to zebras and the safari animal prey/predator relationship hence the title. If you are looking for an interesting and educational read that is not boring, then this is for you. It will have you drawn in to want to learn more as you go through the different ways that stress cam influence you mentally, physically, socially, or emotionally.
[2] Sahar - Highly educational and very well written. It is not a self-help book = I am halfway through this book and I love it! I bought this book after watching a 1-hour lecture on depression by Robert Sapolsky at Stanford University and I immidiately fell in love with his style. In this book, Sapolsky has done a wonderful job explaining complicated scientific matters, experiments and medical terms in very simple and easy to comprehend manner and even managed to throw some humor in there. It's not your typical self help book to teach you techniques on how to overcome stress. Rather it explains how your body performs under stress and is impacted (sometimes permanently) by it. I still find it really helpful in the sense that it shows you how your mental and physical health is completely dependant on this issue and hence the importance of stress management.
[3] Kale Salad - I was not suffering from ulcers, but I did worry too much = Easy to read with plenty of humor. Very applicable to everyday life for me. Made me realize that so much of what was wrong was my perspective and attitude.
[4] Stephen Kellogg - This book is very good on issues related to stress = This book is very good on issues related to stress; my only concern is that it has not been sufficiently updated to down play the relationship with ulcers, which modern scientific theory has shown is more directly caused by bacteria (h. Pylori).
[5] C.J. Adrien - An excellent read = I love this book, and I evoke much of what I learned from it at dinner parties and gatherings. Dr. Sapolsky is an astute student of science — he never speaks in absolutes and is careful to approach the research he presents from multiple perspectives. An excellent read for those interested in the subject of the underlying biology of stress and anxiety.
[6] Lindsey - Wake-up call! = My professor has recommended this author highly for his decades of research on the dangers of stress. This book is entertaining and easy to follow. It is an eye-opener! (For further information on Dr. Sapolsky's research, there is an hour long PBS episode "Stress: Portrait of a Killer" on his studies that is fantastic!) Anyway, I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the damage of the body and mind stress can cause. Life changing for me!
[7] Yuriy - To the point explanation of what is going on in your body under stressful conditions = In this book you will find a good basic knowledge of what and happens in human body during and after stressful conditions and why. I like the book a lot because Sapolsky was able to strike that harmony of combining the right amount of technical details to be precise and good amounts of humor and frankness to be understood and related to by a reader who has zero specific knowledge. His writing style produces that peculiar feeling that the author is just talking to you but not teaching. That said I do not think that this book can be read using speed reading tricks. Instead, it should be read with normal speed to be enjoyed.
[8] Jadziaaz - A must read if you want to understand trauma's long term effect on your body! = Extremely well written. Funny, with real world concepts used to understand difficult medical issues. This is not an easy book to read unless you have a medical background. It is also a long book. However, it is jam-packed with mind blowing information about why we as adults suffer medical and psychological problems well into our later years due to childhood trauma or other traumas such as combat or assault resulting in PTSD. Sapolsky explains WHY our lives are cut short by disease due to the permanent change in our DNA from childhood trauma which leads to early disease. He goes through the body system by system and gives many interesting and enlightening ideas.
[9] Matt - Such a way with words = Sapolsky is an amazing individual. After watching his TV documentary I was intrigued to buy his book. As I read it, I could hear his voice with his enthusiasm dripping from each page. The man is a nerdy comic who has some great humor throughout the book. I strongly recommend it for anyone who does not understand the stress response and how stress produces the release of cortisol. Overall a wonderfully intriguing book!
[10] PJJ - Engaging but seems to only cover downside of stress = Although the writing is very entertaining and insightful. It paints a one=sided picture of stress. There are 17 chapters on how bad chronic stress is, and one short chapter on countering stress, which even had a few ifs and buts. Yes, he does mention short term acute stress is not bad like long term chronic stress but I don't remember him mentioning many studies showing stress in a positive light, such as injecting stress hormones to reduce PTSD, or the John Hopkins University finding that women with greater stress have babies with better developed brains. The book titled ''The Upside of Stress," which I read after this book, gives equally well documented scientific studies on humans which show that stress hormones can have some positive results. I was far less stressed about stress after reading that book.
[11] CF in NYC - Learn to chill = Loving this read!
EXCERPT
Regardless of how poorly we are getting along with a family member or how incensed we are about losing a parking spot, we rarely settle that sort of thing with a fistfight. Likewise, it is a rare event when we have to stalk and personally wrestle down our dinner. Essentially, we humans live well enough and long enough, and are smart enough, to generate all sorts of stressful events purely in our heads. How many hippos worry about whether Social Security is going to last as long as they will, or even what they are going to say on a first date?
Viewed from the perspective of the evolution of the human kingdom, psychological stress is a recent invention. If someone has just signed the order to hire a hated rival after months of plotting and maneuvering, her physiological responses might be shockingly similar to those of a savanna baboon who has just lunged and slashed the face of a competitor. And if someone spends months on end twisting his innards in anxiety, anger, and tension over some emotional problem, this might very well lead to illness.
RECOMMENDATION: You can re-read this summary according to a reinforcement schedule, such as a few hours later and a few days later and then several times in the next week or two. This strategy can help you take advantage of the power of the spaced-repetition method of memorization. Such deep introspection can strengthen your willpower and increase your self-esteem by changing your adaptable self-identity.
REMEMBER ALWAYS:
You Are Your Adaptable Memory!
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