The book received mostly positive reviews. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers argues that social phenomena such as child abuse and the chronic stress of poverty affect biological stress, leading to increased risk of disease and disability. While most of the book focuses on the biological machinery of the body, the last chapter of the book focuses on self-help.

Sapolsky relates the history of endocrinology, how the field reacted at times of discovery, and how it has changed through the years. Sapolsky focuses on the effects of glucocorticoids on the human body, arguing that such hormones may be useful to animals in the wild escaping their predators, (see Fight-or-flight response) but the effects on humans, when secreted at high quantities or over long periods of time, are much less desirable.

However, chronic stress occurs in some social primates (Sapolsky studies baboons) for individuals on the lower side of the social dominance hierarchy. Therefore, many wild animals are less susceptible than humans to chronic stress-related disorders such as ulcers, hypertension, decreased neurogenesis and increased hippocampal neuronal atrophy. The title derives from Sapolsky's premise that for animals such as zebras, stress is generally episodic (e.g., running away from a lion), while for humans, stress is often chronic (e.g., worrying about losing one's job). The book describes itself as a 'Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping' on the front cover of its third edition. 2004) book by Stanford University biologist Robert M. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers is a 1994 (2nd ed. Freeman (2nd ed.), Holt Paperbacks (3rd ed.)

1994 book by Robert Sapolsky Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

Robert m sapolsky books