Robert SapolÂsky, ProÂfesÂsor of BiolÂoÂgy at StanÂford UniÂverÂsiÂty, famousÂly focusÂes his research on stress above all else. (Don’t miss his book, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.) The video above feaÂtures SapolÂsky preÂsentÂing the PritzkÂer LecÂture at the CalÂiÂforÂnia AcadÂeÂmy of SciÂences on FebÂruÂary 15, 2011. The full lecÂture can be seen here. In this excerpt, SapolÂsky amusÂingÂly tells the audiÂence how monÂkeys and humans comÂmonÂly genÂerÂate the highÂest levÂels of dopamine when pleaÂsure is anticÂiÂpatÂed, not when pleaÂsure is actuÂalÂly expeÂriÂenced. But humans, as opposed to monÂkeys, can “keep those dopamine levÂels up for decades and decades waitÂing for the reward.” And for some, SapolÂsky adds, that perÂceived reward lies beyond this life – in the afterÂlife. (SapolÂsky was raised in an orthoÂdox JewÂish famÂiÂly, but is an atheÂist now.) The StanÂford proÂfesÂsor talks about simÂiÂlar issues (what sepÂaÂrates us from priÂmates) in anothÂer capÂtiÂvatÂing talk, “What makes us human?”
By proÂfesÂsion, Matthias RaschÂer teachÂes EngÂlish and HisÂtoÂry at a High School in northÂern Bavaria, GerÂmany. In his free time he scours the web for good links and posts the best finds on TwitÂter.
