“Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart.”
Our nature is a product of our biological and cultural history. Evolution explains how we are shaped and biologically constrained. Like our bones, kidney, eyes, and legs, our brain has been shaped by natural selection. Natural selection equipped us with traits that increase our chances of survival and reproduction. It then follows that we consciously or unconsciously behave according to what we perceive is in our own best interest. This is our biological base nature. It is strengthened or weakened depending on our life experiences.
Genes – environmental stimuli cause response tendencies from our genes. Our genes have evolved and their functions are primarily based on what was beneficial in the hunter-gather environment – the environment where humans spent most of their time. To survive, we must avoid all perceived threats to our survival and reproduction. Evolution has developed a value system based on pain and pleasure that helps us del with the environment. Since the ancestral environment consisted of limited resources and danger, we developed a strong aversion for loss and a tendence for fear. We made fast evaluations and became social animals. We were predisposed to evaluate situations by being fearful. To not respond with fear could be more costly than responding with fear and being wrong. We also acted in ways where the reward was important and the cost was minimal.
Life Experience – upbringing, nutrition, education, social stamping, physical, social and cultural settings create certain convictions, habits, values, attitudes and character traits. This in turn creates our individual beliefs and assumptions. Our judgements are influenced by our state of mind.
Present Environment – outside factors like the environment, the context or circumstances, or the specific situation.
Randomness – we are prepared to be open minded to new experiences since environments vary; handling new challenges is a means of adaptation.
If the consequences were rewarding, our behavior is likely to be repeated. What we consider rewarding is individual specific. Rewards can be anything from health, money, job, reputation, family, status, or power. In all of these activities, we do what works. This is how we adapt. The environment selects our future behavior.
But its not just what happens to us that counts. It’s what we think happens. When we face a situation, our brains create an expectation. We can act in ways contrary to our self-interest if we don’t understand the consequences.
Our behavior creates feedback from our environment. If we do dumb things and suffer the consequences, we may still do dumb things in the future even if it causes pain. Either because we don’t understand the cause of our mistake, or the pain is less painful than other behavior.
Our experiences are stored in the brain and influence us in the future.