The archive

September 16, 2026

Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do

Sean Carroll's Mindscape · Robert Sapolsky · 1 hr 29 min

Why we chose this episode

A neuroscientist walks backward from a single action, through seconds, years and millennia, to show how much stands behind every choice.

Listen for this question

What shaped the last thing you did without your noticing?

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Every link above sends you to the creator’s own platform. We respect the original work, so we never host or summarize it here — we just point you back to the people who made it.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever judged someone quickly and wondered later if they were fair.

Best way to listen

On a slow walk, with no destination.

After the episode

Be a little more generous with one person today.

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