A classic Michael Jackson song says “If they say why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature.” There's something hard-wired in us deep down that drives us to do certain things – or at least that's the theory. Let's talk about that, through topics like:
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What is human nature?
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Why do we do what we do – instinctually, habitually, through desire and need
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How do our personality traits affect our basic behaviour?
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The constant struggle between heart and mind
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History, genetics and the effects of others on our personalities
And more
Human nature can be considered as the basis of our behaviour: we have certain drives and needs that lead us through life, and our personalities, our actions, and so forth are based in that. We hope to explore this in more depth: what does human nature encourage us to do and why, how men and women are affected differently and similarly, and what the base motivations we all work from might be.
Of course, we can also discuss the things that might be blamed on human nature but are really things that come from outside – or at least are influenced by others. We sometimes ignore certain things or downplay information because it doesn't fit our desires; this confirmation bias can frame and change our decision making process at the worst times. Why do we have preferences and personal values that differ from our behaviours? How do we bend our behaviours away from our core values to fit in – and how much do we need to change to be part of the group?
