# Behave by Robert Sapolsky

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Behave by Robert Sapolsky and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers say it helps them understand themselves and others, and its punishment chapter stays with them. No critics raised a recurring complaint.

## Why people recommend it

- Helps understand self and others (1 comments): "I found it immensely helpful to understand about self and others" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48106712))
- Punishment chapter stays with readers (1 comments): "Just read Sapolsky's Behave and linger in the punishment chapter." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45781354))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/g-del-escher-bach.md): 47 recommend
- [Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinking-fast-and-slow.md): 17 recommend
- [Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows](https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinking-in-systems.md): 17 recommend
- [The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins](https://hackerapproved.com/p/selfish-gene.md): 14 recommend
- [Cosmos by Carl Sagan](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cosmos.md): 13 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/009957506X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780099575061) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Behave by Robert Sapolsky", https://hackerapproved.com/p/behave/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).