Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
Combining cutting edge research with a healthy dose of humor and practical advice, Sapolsky explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies mental afflictions.
Stats for nerds
23recommend
42mentions
36people
2008–2025years
62% recommend33% neutral5% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- If anyone wants an interesting read on inflammation / stress for lay audiences, I'd recommend 'Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers' by Sapolsky.
- > In this case, docs just don’t know why. (I think it kinda pisses them off not know, tbh). And finding out is not really in their wheelhouse.
Chronic reflux as a symptom is almost always initially treated by PPIs because the cause among white collar workers is assumed to be chronic stress[1]. Since doctors can't "treat stress" only its symptoms, they will just tell you to try and manage stressors in your life yourself. Maybe suggest counseling but in general they are limited in what they can do. What they can do, if you are persistent in the complaint, is to just run through all the other less likely causes of it.
I was lucky omeprazole worked for me the first time. I knew exactly what was stressing me out 24/7 and the acid reflux and frequent belching combined with the "pit in my stomach" feeling was all too common and connected around my main stressor. In my case, it started 8 months after accepting a role shift from engineering into management. I was cautiously excited initially, but it just soured very quickly. I would feel physical angst parking at work every morning trying to remind myself of all the web of political infighting "what our team is hiding from this other team", "who we can discuss what with", "how that other team is actively undermining us and their other downstream partners, but how we are circumventing that" how to 4d chess maneuver yourself in the most counterproductive ways possible. It was illuminating on where a lot of those special "business requirements" come from sometimes, but it just wasn't for me. Cutting that out was a massive relief
[1]: Stress and glucocorticoids have well documented effects on the digestive system. I recommend the "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" book chapter on stress and the digestive system.
- Hm.
If I say best as in long lasting, “Master and Margarita” uniquely has the power to make me feel a kind of romance when I remember it, not just while reading.
The short story “Fumes the Memorious” changed in a literal sense how I perceived the world, at least for an hour or so.
“Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” was the best self-help book I’ve ever read, and fundamentally changes my politics as well. I came to recognize the significance of true and perceived agency as a factor in mental health.
“Seeing like a state” was the worst written and edited book I’ve read that I nevertheless recommend to people because the ideas therein are fascinating.
It’s an impossible question, as the list of answers only gets longer with time spent on looking for answers. So I suppose Master and Margarita, as that was the first answer.
- Having read Sapolsky’s stuff (firm recommendation for ‘Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers’), I’m under the impression that trying to eliminate chronic stress is of paramount importance for one’s health.
Nowadays I’m an entrepreneur which isn’t stress free, but I feel like the bouts are more acute and chronically I feel quite liberated due to having control over everything.
I know this will vary by person. Some would dread having so many moving parts in their life, but I always found being bossed around to be the most draining part of work.
- short term stress vs. cronic stress
if you can, read Sapolsky's book about it "Why zebras don't get ulcers"
- I'll add one more book reccomendation on this subject: Sapolsky's "Why zebras don't get ulcers". It's a really eye opening summary of the physiology of the stress response literature. Quite scary at times.
