• Question: How do our instincts work?

    Asked by cai192546 to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 15 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by crunchiejelly, hamster.
    • Photo: Julia Griffen

      Julia Griffen answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Guess its a combination of our genetic make up and what we observe and learn from our surroundings. Fight vs Flight and Behavioural stuff.

    • Photo: Drew Rae

      Drew Rae answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      “Instinct” is usually a name for things that we don’t think consciously about. There’s always a lot of brain that is working but we aren’t paying close attention to what it is doing. The exact mix of how much of this is pre-programmed by the shape of the brain, and how much we learn is not really known, but as Julia says its a combination of our genetic make up and what we learn.

    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      …mine work pretty well!! 🙂

    • Photo: Sara Imari Walker

      Sara Imari Walker answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Hi cai! Instincts are typically innate, i.e. we don’t have to learn them. These are things like recoiling at large noises, and running away from scary lions! Probably these responses are somehow encoded in our genetics and passed from generation to generation. Our instincts are typically necessary to our survival so they are really important to pass on. However, how this occurs in unknown. Another scientific mystery waiting to be solved!! I’m with Amy – mine work pretty well (as far as I’ve tested!) and I am happy with that!

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