"Robert M. Sapolsky is one of the best science writers of our time."¡ªOliver Sacks
For the first edition of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers:
Sapolsky succeeds in interpreting technical material in a way that leaves readers with an understanding of how the same physiological responses, so well suited for dealing with short-term physical emergencies, can turn into potential disasters when chronically provoked for psychological or other reasons....The author has a way with words and images....you'll find plenty to intrigue you. ¡ªThe Washington Post
Robert Sapolsky wittily dissects the anatomy of human stress-response. ¡ªThe Wall Street Journal
Preface
p. xi
Why Don't Zebras Get Ulcers?
p. 1
Glands, Gooseflesh, and Hormones
p. 19
Stroke, Heart Attacks, and Voodoo Death
p. 37
Stress, Metabolism, and Liquidating Your Assets
p. 57
Ulcers, the Runs, and Hot Fudge Sundaes
p. 71
Dwarfism and the Importance of Mothers
p. 92
Sex and Reproduction
p. 120
Immunity, Stress, and Disease
p. 144
Stress and Pain
p. 186
Stress and Memory
p. 202
Stress and a Good Night's Sleep
p. 226
Aging and Death
p. 239
Why Is Psychological Stress Stressful?
p. 252
Stress and Depression
p. 271
Personality, Temperament, and Their Stress-Related Consequences
p. 309
...>
Junkies, Adrenaline Junkies, and Pleasure
p. 335
The View from the Bottom
p. 353
Managing Stress
p. 384
Notes
p. 419
Illustration Credits
p. 517
Index
p. 521
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.
Third EditionBy Sapolsky, Robert M.
Owl Books
Copyright ¨Ï2004 Sapolsky, Robert M.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0805073698
From Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers:
Regardless of how poorly we are getting along with a family member or how incensed we are about losing a parking spot, we rarely settle that sort of thing with a fistfight. Likewise, it is a rare event when we have to stalk and personally wrestle down our dinner. Essentially, we humans live well enough and long enough, and are smart enough, to generate all sorts of stressful events purely in our heads. How many hippos worry about whether Social Security is going to last as long as they will, or even what they are going to say on a first date? Viewed from the perspective of the evolution of the human kingdom, psychological stress is a recent invention. If someone has just signed the order to hire a hated rival after months of plotting and maneuvering, her physiological responses might be shockingly similar to those of a savanna baboon who has just lunged and slashed the face of a competitor. And if someone spends months on end twisting his innards in anxiety, anger, and tension over some emotional problem, this might very well lead to illness.
Continues...
Excerpted from
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
by
Sapolsky, Robert M.
Copyright ¨Ï2004 by Sapolsky, Robert M.. Excerpted by permission.
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