how does instinct work? If it’s just “baked” into an animal’s DNA, how does it “activate” and how does it “activate” successfully?
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Most of what we call “instinct” is a pre-wiring of the brain with a built in program. Brains are not a blank slate, they develop with some connections already set up by the growth of the brain. The same DNA mechanisms that can control the layout of muscles, nerve fibers, and arteries through the body can make sure some neurons in the brain are connected to other specific neurons.
Those connections form the connections for specific inputs (i.e. the senses) to cause the brain to make the creature do whatever instinct has set it up to do. This might be walking, hunting, mating, etc.
Most of what we call “instinct” is a pre-wiring of the brain with a built in program. Brains are not a blank slate, they develop with some connections already set up by the growth of the brain. The same DNA mechanisms that can control the layout of muscles, nerve fibers, and arteries through the body can make sure some neurons in the brain are connected to other specific neurons.
Those connections form the connections for specific inputs (i.e. the senses) to cause the brain to make the creature do whatever instinct has set it up to do. This might be walking, hunting, mating, etc.
Most of what we call “instinct” is a pre-wiring of the brain with a built in program. Brains are not a blank slate, they develop with some connections already set up by the growth of the brain. The same DNA mechanisms that can control the layout of muscles, nerve fibers, and arteries through the body can make sure some neurons in the brain are connected to other specific neurons.
Those connections form the connections for specific inputs (i.e. the senses) to cause the brain to make the creature do whatever instinct has set it up to do. This might be walking, hunting, mating, etc.
It’s like immovable shortcuts in the neurons of your brain to do something without thinking about it (aka conscious input).
It’s the way your brain initially develops as a fetus/baby. Most of those wirings cannot change very easily, which is why it’s important that babies are raised without major stresses that can rewire the brain permanently in a negative way.
Like… 99.99% of the time, your neurons drive the “scenic route” to do certain things, like running or talking.
In that 0.01% moment, your brain just yells “JUST FUCKING DO IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE” and it takes the shortcut that’s usually just chilling and waiting to be used. Like when you need to fearfully run away or scream in pain.
For slower instincts, like the craving to mate or eat, your body usually uses the shortcut instead. So you have to train your brain to have a “scenic route”.
It’s like immovable shortcuts in the neurons of your brain to do something without thinking about it (aka conscious input).
It’s the way your brain initially develops as a fetus/baby. Most of those wirings cannot change very easily, which is why it’s important that babies are raised without major stresses that can rewire the brain permanently in a negative way.
Like… 99.99% of the time, your neurons drive the “scenic route” to do certain things, like running or talking.
In that 0.01% moment, your brain just yells “JUST FUCKING DO IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE” and it takes the shortcut that’s usually just chilling and waiting to be used. Like when you need to fearfully run away or scream in pain.
For slower instincts, like the craving to mate or eat, your body usually uses the shortcut instead. So you have to train your brain to have a “scenic route”.
It’s like immovable shortcuts in the neurons of your brain to do something without thinking about it (aka conscious input).
It’s the way your brain initially develops as a fetus/baby. Most of those wirings cannot change very easily, which is why it’s important that babies are raised without major stresses that can rewire the brain permanently in a negative way.
Like… 99.99% of the time, your neurons drive the “scenic route” to do certain things, like running or talking.
In that 0.01% moment, your brain just yells “JUST FUCKING DO IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE” and it takes the shortcut that’s usually just chilling and waiting to be used. Like when you need to fearfully run away or scream in pain.
For slower instincts, like the craving to mate or eat, your body usually uses the shortcut instead. So you have to train your brain to have a “scenic route”.
Thanks for asking and for answering. My new pups bury everything. Toys, treats, bones. They bury them in the bed covers if inside. Or in the garden if outside. Why do they do this? It’s just instinct. They are terriers and they dig.
Thanks for asking and for answering. My new pups bury everything. Toys, treats, bones. They bury them in the bed covers if inside. Or in the garden if outside. Why do they do this? It’s just instinct. They are terriers and they dig.
Thanks for asking and for answering. My new pups bury everything. Toys, treats, bones. They bury them in the bed covers if inside. Or in the garden if outside. Why do they do this? It’s just instinct. They are terriers and they dig.
DNA is the blueprint for how things in the body get built, dna itself does not play a role in thought or reaction.
The human brain, like all brains, is designed to develop with a whole bunch of pre-installed software, synapse connections, that are default to include things like breathing, blinking, sucking, grabbing and many more. Without this preinstalled software (which came from a genetic .zip file called the dna where it was decompressed from) then we would not survive as babies/children.
The physical portion of the brain that handles “instincts” is the brainstem, the part of the brain closest to the spinalcord. Because it is physically between the spinal cord and the rest of the brain, it is literally able to inject commands to the body without you having to think it.
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