Instinct or impulse?

A month or so ago I walked into JB Hi-Fi and picked up a CD. I felt a connection to the image. It was pretty and I wanted it to live on my shelf. The music of Santogold would be amazing, I could feel it. I went with my instincts and payed the $25 to make it mine , without any knowledge of the content.

I got home and excitedly slipped the CD into my computer. The sweet combo of Indie and electro filled my ears, mouth and mind. This was a great CD. I felt a wave of appreciation and affection for my instincts, which had just helped me pick out my new favorite CD, minus the drama of pre-purchase research.

Last night, while listening to 'star stuck' by Santogold, I began to think about human instincts. In a way, I guess our bodies have a mind of their own. We automatically pull away from something if it's too hot and we scratch itches in our sleep. We buy CDs because we think the cover looks cool...I started to picture my hand with it's own little brain, thinking away down there next to my wrist.

I stole this little snippet from the book 'Human Instinct' by Professor Robert Winston:

"What drives a happily married man to fantasize about pretty, slim young women seen on a tube train? Why does a seriously injured, semi-conscious and dehydrated mountaineer battle against impossible weather conditions, refusing the comforts of sleep, to spend three days crawling down to the safety of base camp? How is it that so many thousands of people spend their week entirely focussed on whether their team will win their next crucial match? What stimulates that urge to press the pedal as hard as possible at traffic lights to make the fastest getaway? And how is it that so many people still hold religious views when the notion of an all-powerful being is irrational? All of these impulses are driven by our human instincts - sexual drive, survival, competition, aggression and our search for knowledge."

Instincts are unlearned. They are built into us. They are inherited, fixed patterns of response to certain stimuli.

I believe my CD purchase was fueled by the human instinct to 'search for (music) knowledge'. I have always possessed a deep-seeded desire to unearth new and amazing music before everyone else finds out about it.

I ended up back in the lap of my sexy old friend, bbc.com and took a human instincts test which i recommend, just for kicks.

Go here to 'test your morals" : http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/morals/

Go here to blow your mind: http://www.myspace.com/santogold