MONKEYLUV: A CRITICAL REVIEW
As I picked up picked up my AP Psychology required reading, Monkeyluv by Robert Sapolsky, I wondered what on earth animal behavior could have to do with human psychology. The idea that we could draw connections between the conduct of mice and humans escaped me; I had forgotten that humans were, in fact, animals. Sapolsky does his best to drive this point home as he humorously, yet intellectually, illustrates the idea that humans and animals are often more similar than we’d like to admit, and how by studying their behavior, we might better understand our own. Just who exactly is this man to be shattering my worldview? Before giving Sapolsky’s assertions any kind of merit, I had to know of his credentials. As it turns out, Sapolsky has spent decades in the field of animals, literately and figuratively. Not only has he received his B.A. in biological anthropology from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in …show more content…
These six essays describe the interaction between the brain and body, and how the author views both as equally influential to our behavior. Sapolsky draws attention to different parts of the brain, such as the prefrontal and frontal cortexes and how they influence everyday activities like dreaming or discipline and delaying gratification in order to complete summer work. Then, Sapolsky changes gears and looks at outside influences of the body that can affect the chemistry of the brain. Specifically, he looks to the effect of stress on the brain, which may cause the hippocampus to shrink in those with PTSD, and the ability of the body’s autonomic nervous system to get the brain to think a certain way, such as the raising of blood pressure when we’re angry, almost like a positive feedback mechanism. Finally, the author tells of how the influence of others can distort our own brains through an essay on Munchausen’s by Proxy and tales of parasites controlling our
As I picked up picked up my AP Psychology required reading, Monkeyluv by Robert Sapolsky, I wondered what on earth animal behavior could have to do with human psychology. The idea that we could draw connections between the conduct of mice and humans escaped me; I had forgotten that humans were, in fact, animals. Sapolsky does his best to drive this point home as he humorously, yet intellectually, illustrates the idea that humans and animals are often more similar than we’d like to admit, and how by studying their behavior, we might better understand our own. Just who exactly is this man to be shattering my worldview? Before giving Sapolsky’s assertions any kind of merit, I had to know of his credentials. As it turns out, Sapolsky has spent decades in the field of animals, literately and figuratively. Not only has he received his B.A. in biological anthropology from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in …show more content…
These six essays describe the interaction between the brain and body, and how the author views both as equally influential to our behavior. Sapolsky draws attention to different parts of the brain, such as the prefrontal and frontal cortexes and how they influence everyday activities like dreaming or discipline and delaying gratification in order to complete summer work. Then, Sapolsky changes gears and looks at outside influences of the body that can affect the chemistry of the brain. Specifically, he looks to the effect of stress on the brain, which may cause the hippocampus to shrink in those with PTSD, and the ability of the body’s autonomic nervous system to get the brain to think a certain way, such as the raising of blood pressure when we’re angry, almost like a positive feedback mechanism. Finally, the author tells of how the influence of others can distort our own brains through an essay on Munchausen’s by Proxy and tales of parasites controlling our