Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses

by Athena Aktipis (Narrator), The Great Courses

You watch a horror movie or TV series and think, "Zombies don’t really exist". But when you consider the broader definition of zombification—the control of one entity by another—then zombies are definitely among us. And, it turns out, they have much to teach us about the world.
Athena Aktipis of Arizona State University is a self-professed apocalypse enthusiast, and as the host of the podcast Zombified, she knows the undead inside and out. With Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses, she’s compiled her research and insights into a fascinating Audible Original that will have you thinking more deeply about all those shambling, brain-hungry corpses in pop culture—not to mention our everyday lives.

Drawing on years of research on zombies and zombification, these six lessons offer a fun way to explore and understand the many forces that influence us. You’ll discover how organisms in the natural world like the jewel wasp hijack one another for their own ends. You’ll examine cases of social and psychological zombification involving family members and romantic partners. And of course, you’ll spend plenty of time with fictional zombies—learning why they fascinate us, how they map onto topics like infectious diseases and disaster preparedness, and what they reveal about our hopes and fears for the future of humanity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Science, Zombies, Horror, Psychology, Education

Audible Audio

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Maede · Rating 2 out of 5]

دو و نیم ستاره

این مجموعه لکچر از دوره‌های جدید و کوتاه گریت کورسز به حساب میاد و با موضوع کلی «زامبی شدن» به سراغ طبیعت، اجتماع، ریشه‌ی کلمه‌ی زامبی و فیلم‌های این ژانر می‌ره

اتکینز، استاد دانشگاه آریزونا، در لکچر اول در مورد زامبی‌های واقعی در دنیای حیوانات و قارچ‌ها صحبت می‌کنه و در لکچر دوم توضیح میده که چطور شبکه‌های اجتماعی و روابط انسانی می‌تونن ما رو تبدیل به زامبی کنند، به نحوی که در راستای اهدافشون حرکت کنیم. لکچر سوم که موضوع جالبی داشت در مورد اینه که چرا ما اصلاً در مورد موضوعات مرتبط با مرگ و خطر کنجکاویم و این حتی می‌تونه در زندگی بهمون کمک‌کننده باشه

لکچر پنجم با اسپویل شدید فیلم‌های زامبی‌دار، بررسی می‌کنه که این داستان‌ها چه چیزی می‌تونن بهمون یاد بدن و در لکچر آخر هم در مورد اهمیت همکاری در زمان شرایط آخر زمانی یا مشابه بهش صحبت می‌کنه و راستش یکم عجیب بود

به طور کلی موضوع جالب و متفاوتی بود، اما پرداخت به مثال‌ها می‌تونست عمیق‌تر باشه و مطالب کمتر تکرار بشه. به نظرم به چشم یک پادکست دو ساعته ارزش شنیدن داره اگر به موضوع علاقمند باشید، اما نه بیشتر

نسخه‌ی‌ صوتی رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۴/۱۰/۷

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aktipis offers six, upbeat, lessons that explore zombification and the relevance of zombie fiction, keeping in mind the author's very broad definition of the term zombified as "any organism under the control of another organism or entity".

The lecture series begins with a very broad and shallow overview of biological zombification, making use of the real world examples of cordyceps fungi, jewel wasps, and the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Lecture two extends this into social and psychological manifestations of zombification via government legislation, social norms and interactions, consumerism, advertising, social media, and other uses of technology to hijack our behaviour to buy things or behave in a specific manner. This isn't always a bad thing, otherwise society wouldn't function. The third lecture asks if morbid curiosity can save us and examines why we are so fascinated by zombies and other things that frighten us. Aktipis takes a look at the flight/fright response in terms of brain functioning, evolution (e.g.predator inspection behaviour), game theory, and the practical side to disaster fiction. The remaining three lectures deal with lessons gleaned from zombie movies. Aktipis also asks if the zombie apocalypse would bring out the monsters in us, or the humanity. Would people co-operate or die? She examines the after affects of real disasters to see how humans react.

On the whole, I found the lecture series interesting, but someone shallow and too repetitive. It would probably have made a better impact on me if I had actually watched any of the zombie movies used as examples, though Aktipis did briefly explain the relevant bits with minimal spoilers.

[Cori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Great Courses section on Audible offers six lectures on zombification in the real world. The lectures looked at everything from examples of zombification in fungi and insects to examples of zombification in politics and social media. My favorite lectures dealt with morbid curiousity- why can't we look away from horrific and possibly deadly scenes in both zombie movies and real life. Is there a scientific purpose to why humans and animals do this? Finally, can binge watching The Walking Dead better prepare us for catastrophe on earth?

I think there was an itch I was hoping to scratch when I listened to this and, unfortunately, didn't quite get there. All in all, it was interesting enough to finish.

I'd rate this a PG.

Original review posted 3/3/24.

[Libby Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering this was by a professor, and the chapters were even described as 'lectures', I was expecting to have some more light or nuance shed on the subjects covered. It was nothing awful, just perhaps would've been better in a different format and if the author moved away from the appearance of trying to get more listeners for her podcast.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. A little too text book for me though

[Zoe Croman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is written from a very materialistic point of view to the exclusion of any potential social factors or actual ability of lifeforms to think, reason, or form relationships beyond the pure mechanical drive of individual cells.

The idea behind this book is good and the author had some examples of zombification behavior in real life and fiction that were really interesting, but she has a frustratingly narrow scope in which she approaches the topic, missing the forest for the single cells of the trees.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 12-year-old and I listened to this in the car driving home from school for a few days. There were some interesting parts regarding game theory and preparation for dangerous situations but despite the short length, the classes were very repetitive.

Aktipis also seemed determined to spoil zombie movies and television shows, but I forgive that as perhaps I should have prepared for class by watching those first.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, mildly gross, academic and kinda fun
This is a short little audiobook. about 2:30 hours. arranged as college lectures, there are 6 lectures and one is a summation. This 'Great Course' is a little more academic than media nostalgia like Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture, and How Horror Works in Books and Film, both also by The Great Courses.
This thing is written and narrated by Professor Athena Aktipis, and she sounds amazing. Christina Athena Aktipis is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University. She is the director of the Interdisciplinary Cooperation Initiative and the co-director of the Human Generosity Project and was the director of human and social evolution and co-founder of the Center for Evolution and Cancer at UCSF. She is a cooperation theorist, an evolutionary biologist, an evolutionary psychologist, and a cancer biologist. (lol and I get tired just reading her accomplishments)
One little thing, The title is a bit of a bait & switch because for the purpose of these lectures she defines Zombified as "Any organism under the control of another organism" and the real world examples of that are things you might not want to know are real.
She's also going to include "Social Zombification' like when your 'attention' get hijacked by Facebook & twitter or when any person or group exploits you for advantage or resources. Now that's a lot less gross than Toxoplasma gondii, ...but I can't help feel like that's cheating.
I'm not spoiling anything to tell you her ultimate conclusion is "Cooperate or die" both in the apocalypse and in life. Dude she's got the research and computer models to prove it.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book! As a fan of psychology, biology, sociology, and fiction. This book is right up my alley. The author also has a very fun attitude and does a great job at narrating the audiobook.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting listen about zombies in all forms. This short book discussed everything from rabies to social media as it described how a zombie is something that takes over your brain. There were fun tidbits here (ex. malls are wastelands that truly offer us nothing for survival against zombies) and more insightful ones (ex. banding together to overcome zombies is the way to defeat them). I enjoyed this quick book!

[Cole Schoolland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those Podcasts masquerading as a book.

It was a quick read, but light on substance and heavy on anecdote.

[Lenka Příplatová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses by Athena Aktipis is a fascinating exploration of how zombie fiction can offer real-world insights into human behavior, social dynamics, and survival strategies. Aktipis, a biologist with expertise in cooperation and conflict, uses the zombie metaphor to examine how we might better prepare for and respond to various crises, from pandemics to social unrest.

The book does an excellent job of making complex scientific concepts accessible through the lens of pop culture. It’s a unique and engaging way to discuss important topics, and Aktipis successfully shows how even "zombie science" can provide valuable lessons for understanding our world. For example, the book offers a good introduction to the parasitic manipulation hypothesis, which explains how certain parasites can control their hosts’ behavior—an intriguing parallel to the "zombification" seen in nature.

However, the short format of the book limits how deeply it can explore these topics, which is a shame. While the book does a great job of introducing ideas, such as the manipulative relationship between parasites and hosts, there’s so much more to explore. For instance, the interaction between bacteria and silver, where silver ions can effectively "zombify" bacteria by disrupting their cellular processes, would have been another compelling biological parallel to dive into. Similarly, other sections could have benefited from more in-depth analysis.

That said, Zombified is an excellent starting point for further thought and exploration. It’s also a great example of how research in seemingly "frivolous" areas of pop culture can actually lead to a better understanding of society, offer new perspectives on traditional topics, and even inspire more "serious" research. The book may not be exhaustive, but it’s a valuable and thought-provoking read that will leave you contemplating the hidden depths of the zombie metaphor long after you’ve finished it.

[Ellie Heron · Rating 3 out of 5]

are you normal or do you engage with zombie-apocalypse-based-catastrophization as a controlled approach to larger roots of your anxiety disorders, providing a way for you to create strategies and calming techniques that allow you to feel more prepared for unlikely worst case scenarios?

if you’re the first, and you’re confused by the second, boy oh boy should you listen to this!! you’ll learn so much about how some people with anxious brains approach problems (not everyone, but some)

and if you’re like me, you’ll listen and largely just be agreeing with everything she said because yeah, a lot of the world is terrible and parasitic and we’re all doomed to become zombies to something so might as well strategize now. i also really appreciated the explanations she gave regarding psychological studies and the way that engaging with controlled horror or apocalyptic scenarios can help reduce anxiety levels in anxious people by allowing them to regain a sense of understanding, agency, and control.
like yeah babe, i thought so, but i loveee that you backed it up with research. show me those citations baby, we love to see it

[Catherine Puma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This listen definitely fit my mood of the season!

I'm glad I've seen some of the zombie media that Athena Aktipis mentions here ("The Last of Us", "The Walking Dead", "Left for Dead", "Shawn of the Dead" and "Train to Busan"). However, though certain scenes are discussed further, many of the media references are fleeting and shallow. I wanted more depth and literary/cultural analysis. While there are some good points made here, and the sections about real-world forms of zombification didn't distract as much as I thought they would, there just isn't enough content here to justify higher marks.

This was available to me as part of my Audible annual membership; I certainly couldn't recommend someone buy this/use an Audible credit just to read it. Is there more substance here than what you'd get from listening to her podcast? Perhaps not. Maybe I'm being more harsh than I would be had I not cared about the zombie genre and its study thereof so much. I didn't get what I wanted from this work, and so must roam elsewhere for more... like an insatiable zombie?

[Juan Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you saw the series “The last of us” maybe you started thinking, could that happen in reality?

In this mini course from “The Great Courses” Athena Aktipis answers this question. Today there are already parasites that take control of other animals and make them change their habits to reproduce better. In fact, the fungus in the series already takes control of the brains of certain ants and what happens to them is what happens to humans in the series.

There are already some parasites that invade the human body and make it change its attitudes to spread, such as the rabies virus that can be spread to many mammals. Athena calls this “zombifying.”

Perhaps the first two lessons of this course are the best: the explanation of what a zombie is and how there can be things that “zombify” us and we don't even realize it (like social networks and much of today's technology).

Good course for a Sunday afternoon.

[Biggest Little Book Talker · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all those who have studied the horror genre, specifically zombies, will not be surprised by the many social and economic issues that this book discusses.
This audible is a series of lectures pieced together about how many zombies media be literature teach us real life lessons. It is modern and has the most up to date information.
Though I don’t think it has the most compelling arguments or comparisons, it is a great way to jump in to the deeper meaning of the zombie genre.
There a several literary journals on zombies media and it’s deeper meaning, especially about the Day of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead. I highly recommended sealing them out of this is something that interests you!

[cypher · Rating 2 out of 5]

picked this as a listen for halloween month, but i can't say i felt it fits, it feels heavily off-topic with its attempt to link fiction to science...also, i really don't think most of the examples given can actually qualify as anything even remotely related to "zombification"...a bit too much fake-news-like science for me, trying to me something which is not really there be a thing...maybe to justify a field of research which is not really labeling things right...i'd prefer sticking to traditional evolution-based logic and evolutionary psychology for science.

...and, no, i don't thing fear is fun, as the author says at some point...apocalypse scenarios are not "fun", neither is torture, terror or suffering. i bit too hyped in the wrong direction.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting and not something I had really thought about before. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be something i’d enjoy at first, but she really did manage to apply the idea of zombies to so much. It stuck to the usual great courses set up, and like always I kind of wish it had been longer but it was still great. The only issue other than that was the repetitiveness of the movie mentions, I think that should have been toned down a tad. I know each chapter is meant to be a seperate “lecture” but it’s still annoying to have a movie explained repeatedly.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content Warnings: None.

The recording and delivery of this course is more Podcaster than professorial, but don't let that deceive you. Aktipis is more than qualified to speak on this topic and concisely covers real world zombie behavior, broader human definitions and contexts, game theory, and more.

I would love a longer course on the topic but felt this was a great introduction making connections between fiction and reality and why those connections matter.

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little audiobook/lecture on science using the appealing draw of the Zombie Genre to hook the listener or student into the science of evolution and psychology. At the same time the listener gets a peek at the Aktipis's interpretation of plots in zombie movies, and how they show cooperative strategies for survival during tough times.

I didn't expect much, but I ended up really liking this.

[Kent Winward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable Great Courses that explored how we are zombified by many different things. It worked well as a companion piece to Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will, which really illustrates how much we are non-free willed zombies.

[M A Spiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! I have watched all the zombie movies and shows and thought about apocalyptic scenarios plenty of times. So, this was an interesting and scientific way to think about them and compare them to real life. I guess now I have to get my go-bag ready. I have never read a book from The Great Courses, but now I have several on my to-read list.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting listen. I like the definition given of zombie here: an entity controlled by another entity (whether that be a hive mind, a virus, a fungus, etc.). One of the best lessons to be taken from fictional zombie apocalypses (spoiler!) is that we must cooperate in challenging times. Entertaining and enjoyable.

[Jennifer Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an audible original that surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised to listen to the 6 lessons of "zombification" that were based on science, psychology and events through history.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short "Great Courses" audiobook from someone with a related podcast as well (which is probably even better). Uses zombies as a way to motivate teaching about biology and psychology. The concept here is great -- it was just too short and thus superficial.

[Anna Jaskiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and short audiobook that was just the perfect length for me to listen to while doing all my weekly chores. Highly recommend for anyone who is fans of “The Last of Us”, “The Walking Dead”, or any other zombie tv shows and movies.

[Hunter Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a clever and interesting introspective look at the whole idea of zombies. From the origin of Zombi to insects to the popular shows. Interweaves psychology, game theory, sociology, biology, and medicine into a fun and unique take and the idea of zombies.

[Vansh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good!
I got a little scared reading game theory so this was a really lovely pullback that not everything is a competitive game.
Also great points on it acclimating us to apocalypse fear and cope better with it.

[Alexandra Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I especially liked the points about social zombification (i.e. through social media). Aktipis references useful terms and ideas, is an engaging narrator and makes some great points about collective care and co-operation in apocalyptic times. Recommended.

[tamaaluk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, brief, and entertaining overview on how entities are impacted by other entities and the things around them. Interesting and thought provoking commentary on some zombie franchises and how we're individually influenced day by day.