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Yes, genes are important for understanding our behavior. Incredibly important - after all, they code for every protein pertinent to brain function, endocrinology, etc., etc. But the regulation of genes is often more interesting than the genes themselves, and it's the environment that regulates genes.
Robert Sapolsky
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Genes influence behavior, but environmental factors play a crucial role in gene regulation.

This quote emphasizes the importance of genes in shaping our behavior and biological functions, while also highlighting that the regulation of these genes, influenced by our environment, is often more significant. It challenges the simplistic view that genes alone determine our actions and responses, illustrating the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors.

Themes

GenesEnvironmentBehaviorRegulationBiology

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about nature vs. nurture, this quote can highlight the importance of the environment in shaping behavior.

More from Robert Sapolsky

I used to very politely say that if there is free will then it's in all sorts of boring places, like whether you're going to pick up this or that fork as you begin your meal. There really is none: It's all biology.
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When you've wised up enough, there is a very clear conclusion that you have to reach after a while, which is, at the end of the day, it is really impossible for one person to make a difference.
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My adolescent rebellions took the form of, if anything, passive aggressively doing what was asked of me but doing it ten times more than what was asked of me, so that eventually they'd have to beg me to stop.
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I expected social rank to be the determining factor in health, and in some ways that's true. But far more important is what sort of society that rank occurs in. Being low ranking in a benevolent troop is a hell of a lot better for your blood pressure than being low ranking in an aggressive troop.
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That's what stress management is about, that's what psychotherapy is about, finding religion, or finding your loved one or your hobby - any of those, they give you more outlets, more of a sense of control, more of a sense of predictability, of social support. They give you the means to psychologically finesse ambiguous outside reality.
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