Today we welcome Robert Sapolsky to the podcast. Robert is professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. His research has been featured in the National Geographic documentary "Stress: Portrait of a Killer". At age 30, Robert received the MacArthur F ... Show More
Dec 2025
End of an Era — Reflections on 11 Years of The Psychology Podcast w/ Annie Murphy Paul
After 11 years, 478 episodes, and countless conversations exploring the depths of human potential, this episode marks the final chapter of The Psychology Podcast in its current form. In this deeply meaningful farewell episode for Scott, he sits down with acclaimed science writer ... Show More
46m 52s
Nov 2025
How Mindsets Shape Reality w/ Dr. Alia Crum
This week, Scott sits down with his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Alia Crum—one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of mindsets. Dr. Crum’s groundbreaking work investigates how our subjective beliefs and interpretations can produce real, measurable changes in b ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2025
The Gentle Power of Sisu w/ Dr. Elisabet Lahti
This week, Scott welcomes Dr. Elisabet Lahti—educator, applied psychology researcher, and founder of the Sisu Lab. Dr. Lahti is the world’s leading expert on sisu, a Finnish concept that embodies extraordinary courage, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity. Toget ... Show More
48m 45s
Oct 2021
15 - Robert Sapolsky: Why Society Would Be Fairer If We Stopped Believing in Free Will
<p>Eric chats with Robert Sapolsky, Stanford Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. Robert is a world-renowned academic and author of highly successful books such as A Primate’s Memoir, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Wor ... Show More
50m 38s
Nov 2023
Robert Sapolsky on Free Will
Yascha Mounk and Robert Sapolsky debate whether there is free will and if it would matter if there weren't.
Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist and primatologist, is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor and professor of biology, neurology and neurosurgery at Stanford Universi ... Show More
1h 12m
Feb 2024
#55 Robert Sapolsky - Free Will Doesn't Exist. Now What?
<p>Robert Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is a professor of biology, neurology, neurological sciences, and neurosurgery at Stanford University.</p> <p>He is the author of "Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will", which you can purchas ... Show More
56m 55s
Mar 2024
Do We Have Free Will? with Robert Sapolsky
<p>Is there a quantum reason we could have free will? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore the concept of free will and predetermination with neuroscientist, biologist, and author of <i>Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will</i>, Robert Sapolsky. </p><p> ... Show More
53m 30s
Oct 2023
Robert Sapolsky: The Illusion of Free Will
I have been a fan of Robert Sapolsky’s for a long time. He is a creative force, with wide ranging knowledge, from primatology to neuroscience, and he is also a wonderful expositor of science. His previous book, Behave, was a wide ranging exploration of human behavior, at its best ... Show More
2h 58m
Nov 2023
The case against free will
Sean Illing speaks with Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the author of a new book called Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. They discuss the concept of free will, whether it actually exists in the way we think it does, ... Show More
58m 41s
Oct 2023
#91 — The Biology of Good and Evil
Sam Harris speaks with Robert Sapolsky about the brain and human behavior. They discuss the relationship between reason and emotion, the role of the frontal cortex, the illusion of free will, punishment and retributive justice, neurological disorders and abnormal behavior, the re ... Show More
1h 38m