
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
by Robert M. Sapolsky · first published 2004
42mentions
23recommended by
36HN commenters
2008–2025first – last mentioned
64% recommend31% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Well-written, accessible account of how chronic stress affects the body, from digestion to the stress hormones involved. Suits lay readers who want a scientific grounding on stress and stress-related disease.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…Antonio Damasio • Neuroscience: Exploring the brain by Bear, Connors, and Paradiso (this is a fantastic illustrated text book with great explanations; fully worth the 72 euros I paid for it) • Behave and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Sapolsky (I wrote my "why" for Behave here[1]) • Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene • The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod • Chimpanzee Politics by Frans de Waal • Homo Ludens: A Study of…
on “Revisiting “The 4-Hour Workweek”” ↗…Even if you inherit the gene, it may require some environmental stimulus to cause it to express itself. What sort of role does childhood trauma play with this? If you're interested in this stuff, read "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert Sapolsky. It's a really well-written, thoroughly researched book on stress and anxiety from a scientific perspective. The writing is approachable without pandering, and having a bit more insight…
on “The antidepressant reboxetine: A headdesk moment in science” ↗…your stomach is messed up and you get all sort of indigestion. And so on. Many examples of changes that have a simple explanation but are hazardous in chronic stress situations. For reference, read the Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers or anything by Robert Sapolsky.
on “The psychology of stress and burnout” ↗Yes, actually. Animals in the wild don't experience _chronic_ stress. I recommend Robert Sapolsky's book "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers."
on “Stress hormones in our diet may be a missing link between food and wellness” ↗Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers was the most profound book experience I have had in 50 years' reading. In the final chapter, it took me a half hour to read each page, because it was tying together threads from the whole rest of the…
on “Robert Sapolsky on Depression (2009)” ↗…more! Seriously. It has been an eye opener to me. For people who loves books over video, he wrote those books where he covers the same topics: - Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping
on “Robert Sapolsky on Depression (2009)” ↗1. Chaos: Making a New Science [ http://amzn.to/1fbmC73 ] still makes an awesome read despite its age. 2. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ] - great book on stress and its effects by Robert Sapolsky (have you seen his lectures on behavioural biology? Fascinating stuff, even if you always thought 'meh, biology' -…
on “The Best Books I Read in 2013” ↗A wonderful read on th subject is Robert Sapolsky's "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers": http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780805073690-1
on “The History Behind the Science of Stress” ↗You might want to read the book Why Zebras don't get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. It's about stress, all aspects of it. So it's not about inflammation, although inflammation means stress and in that regard it is covered - you might find it interesting. Be prepared…
on “Inflammation: Medicine's burning question” ↗An interesting read is Why Zebras don't get Ulcers by Sapolsky. It's a book about stress. Eating, fat, insulin and weight are an interesting part of it, and their relation to stress and health in general. http://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Get-Ulcers/dp/07167321...
on “Why the calorie is broken” ↗I haven't read his new book, but I've read most of Sapolsky's older books and they're all excellent. "A Primate's Memoir" and "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" are my favorites.
on “It’s Complicated: Unraveling the mystery of why people act as they do” ↗Robert Sapolsky has two stress-related lectures that were absolutely fascinating - one titled "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers", and another one whose title I forget that was about his work with Baboons. They were great for making the Austin -> Dallas drive.
on “Startup books and podcasts: making the most of a longer commute” ↗<I mean the whole idea of "mindfulness" and "meditation" are the sort of pseudoscientific bullshit> A good book to go down a scientific path is "Why Zebras don't get ulcers" by Dr Robert Sapolsky. Dr Sapolsky is professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford. His book helped me understand the physical effects on my health caused by…
on “Yale's online class on “The Science of Well-Being”” ↗…graduate work in a somatic psychotherapy program for students intending to go into clinical settings, or therapy practices. That said, the friendliest way to get started in reading about this field would be Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. There's also a significant body of work related to somatics and those suffering from PTSD. "Somatic psychotherapy" is a way of healing the mind through the body -- we live in embodied…
on “Emotional Blocks as Obstacles to Learning” ↗Endocrinology has to be the hardest kind of medicine. Anybody who can do it must need immense patience to tolerate all of us buffoons. Robert Sapolsky succeeded in delivering the flavor of it, in "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers".
on “What I learned as a hired consultant to autodidact physicists (2016)” ↗