The Neuroscience of Lies, Honesty, and Self-Control | Robert Sapolsky | Big Think
The Neuroscience of Lies, Honesty, and Self-Control
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Ever hear the expression “it’s all in your mind”? Well, according to Robert Sapolsky all the negativity in the world might all be coming from one part of the brain: the frontal cortex. The science of temptation runs parallel to the science of why people make “bad” decisions. Sapolsky talks about how active the frontal cortex can be in some people when they have the opportunity to do a bad thing… and how calm it can be in other people when presented with a similar situation. Performing full-frontal lobotomies on the world’s population to rid the world of negativity isn’t exactly in the cards—but understanding the basis of the world’s problems on a scientific (not to mention cranial level) might help make future generations much more adept at stopping humanity’s biggest mistakes.
Robert Sapolsky’s most recent book is Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.
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ROBERT M SAPOLSKY:
Robert M. Sapolsky holds degrees from Harvard and Rockefeller Universities and is currently a Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University and a Research Associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. His most recent book is “Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.”
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TRANSCRIPT:
ROBERT SAPOLSKY: So when we look at the world’s ills one of the biggest sources of it is us failing to do the right thing when it’s the harder thing to do—giving in to temptation, giving in to impulse. Giving in to emotional sort of immediacy. And the part of the brain that’s most central to whether or not that happens is the frontal cortex. Most recently evolved part of the brain, we’ve got more of it proportionally or more complexly than any other primate species out there. It’s the part of the brain that does impulse control, long term planning, emotional regulation. It does all the stuff where it’s the frontal cortex that whispers in your ear saying, “Do you really really want to do that right now? If you do that you’re going to regret it. It seems like a great idea.” Frontal cortex about that.
Okay, so when we look at our moments of life where there’s that enormous temptation to do the impulsive thing and—what’s going to determine whether the world will be freed of impulsive horrors?“If only we could all get stronger frontal cortices trained in childhood to be able to hold out where you could have one marshmallow right now but if you wait you can get two later, and training from early age so that your frontal cortex has the most like fabulous aerobic metabolism ever, and it could just make you—“
And what the studies suggest is: at all sorts of junctures of doing the harder thing yes, having a really robust studly frontal cortex may do you a lot of good there.
But when you do sort of the truly difficult thing, when you see people who are the ones who run into the burning building to save the child and they leap into the river when everybody else is standing there like headless chickens—When you look at those people they’re not doing it because they’ve got the most amazing frontal cortexes on earth that could reason through the long-term consequences of “oh, what if nobody in society came to the aid of strangers?”
What they do is: they do it automatically.
You ask anybody who does one of these heroic acts what were you thinking when you jumped in the river. And the answer is always the same: “I wasn’t thinking. Before I knew it I had jumped in.”
When we do our most amazingly wondrous altruistic acts it’s not because we’ve got the most incredible frontal cortexes on earth that could like reason us. It’s because it’s out of the realm of the frontal cortex and it’s out of the realm of temptation and limbic stuff. We do the harder thing in a case like that because for us it’s not the harder thing. It’s become automatic, and that’s where you see it. You see the best success with temptation when it isn’t tempting, when it’s automatic, when we’ve distracted ourselves. All of that frontal like “work your way through the right decision” gets you only so far.
A fabulous study addressing this. This was work by a guy at Harvard named Josh Green who put people in a study in a brain scanner, of some task where if they got it right they get a reward afterward. So there’s an incentive to get it right. And this wonderful manipulative setup where at various points people were under the impression that there was a glit…
For the full transcript, check out https://bigthink.com/videos/robert-saplosky-one-brain-region-responsible-for-all-the-worlds-problems
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@Alex-m6g8g
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Treating others the way I like to be treated within my many ongoing mistakes.. Repent and amend and persue good will..
@robertjohnston8876
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I recall the story of a plane crash on the river in Washington DC.
One individual saved numerous lives. Instead of saving his own life, he remained rescuing others from the sinking airplane. In the end, he died after falling into the river himself.
An incredible story. He did not hesitate for a second thinking what he should do.
He immediately did what God wanted him to do.
@eleonoraformatoneeszczepan8807
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Hahaha
@BishwanathNongmaithem
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
So basically, You just Do it mentality
@FreidaRiga
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Watching this video, I was thinking that as an ADHD person, my frontal cortex must not be that evolved 😅 Maybe that's the part of the brain that is useful in this particular western civilisation, for this economic model. My brains don't have a single neurone helful for long term planning, for strategy, for entrepreneurial success. It is still in the hunter/gatherer mode. I act on impulse only. I'm at my best in emergency situations.
Also, I often wonder about these brain studies. Do they have any neuroatypical people participating in them ? I'd be interested to know how they did and how neurodiversity is taken into account in the conclusion.
@shinn-tyanwu4155
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Great professor 😊😊😊
@Rybz
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
i feel like the frontal cortex is the simulation machine of the brain where it make calculations, like when people are lying they are calculating what they should say or how to act so they don't get caught, and when youre honest you just go with the flow cus you have nothing to hide so you dont need to be steps ahead. also people with anger issues and who dont regulate themselves (low frontal activity, same as naturally good people) are like that cus they just act without much thinking or awareness of certain things, but when they try to better themselves it requires them to calculate how their actions affect others and themselves which is something they dont have yet internalized, requiring brain work in the frontal cortex, which is hard and mentally tiring.
@budte
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Up until my early 20s I was an out and out criminal. Then I grew up, albeit later than most others. 40 more years later I still wouldn't take a penny that was not mine. Not because I am 'better' than anyone else, but because I understand the difference between happiness and pleasure and where each lay.
@ThePipemiker
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
It's a really arbitrary experience sometimes. I remember dating this one girl and hiding behind her to avoid getting hit by a basketball that someone had meant to hit me with.
Then another girl who I liked, but was not dating, I found myself unconsciously getting between her and some sketchy looking homeless person.
@locaterobin
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Altruistic things done without giving a thought to consequences might be heroic but not necessarily a good or sustainable way of doing good.
@kerrinbadham9599
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
So how do you condition for honesty? And how does a child brought up by parents with good habits and a strong moral code of not being dishonest, choose dishonesty without even struggling with it?
@carriemccoy-kw1cx
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
He needs to market his own curly hair products. That curl pattern tho 😁
@alexforget
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
The "it's automatic" is baked into our mind by our upbringing and mostly by religion.
That's why without it society will crumble.
@gantamk
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
The last temptation of Jesus Christ
@stargazeronesixseven
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
🙏 Use our Minds / Consciousness Naturally & Spontaneously with Wisdom & Kindness >>> That's when the Universal Helps can communicate with us & to guide us … Once taught by an Enlightened Being around 2,600 years ago from Northern India … 😊🙏
@cutpaperpaste
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Don't flag this… purely for humor, and with all do respect, based on his long hair and beard…. I bet he has hairy balls…. I love this man's Insight and have seen many of his lectures and sponsored video college courses….
@kingjae1498
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Good is subjective…but ya know black and white thinking ain't going nowhere…
@jimbo57854
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Yes, your frontal cortex cannot keep you from impulsive action alone: it needs Jesus.
@JohnSmith-cc3ud
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Zach Galifinakis + Heath Ledger= this guy (who,dont get me wrong, is very intelligent)
@brezl8
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
there is an element of training or capacity, but its not just that. its also idendity; do you know who you are? or do you "know" who you were told to be? its about self consciousness, self determination, confidence and virtue.
@slowking9058
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Just to get things straight. 1. Having a big frontal cortex helps you make harder decisions. 2. If you develop certain morals and values and dont see certain things as worth doing because youre being guided by your moral standards. Meaning the harder decision is natural to you. Right? Thats what hes saying?
@ariasmataleno2823
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I really love the talks from Robert Sapolsky 💙 I absolutely understand the state of grace- yesterday I found mail on the ground with a credit card attached, it looked like someone tried to steal and run but dropped it. I returned it to the address listed- their mail had been clearly pillaged. Once upon a time, I had an addiction problem and may not have done the same thing, I'm glad that's behind me.
@benah6192
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I have an entire Concept on this and the "archaic" terms of psychopathy sociopathic narcissistic people… And what defines a "good person".
@ソトヤママリアテレサ
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
good people don't think, they do the right thing without thought. it's not a choice. ''so i jumped into the river to save her. '' it's automatic. There's no choice. Do the good thing. Don't cheat. it's not who you are. Thanks. the world will thank you later. peace. ☮️🎶
@eleonoracoppini6629
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
❤ Absolutely 💯 %
@fatimaabbasi6485
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
<3
@mariaradulovic3203
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
In other words, you have no control over your acting.
@annjones5201
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
im always surprised he does shave his head and face. Seriously! that much hair is A TON of work!
just saying
🌞❤🌞
@hakayma
September 2, 2025 at 1:53 pm
It takes time to develop a habit and vice versa
"Automatic"
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