What triggers instinct?

instinct, an inborn impulse or motivation to action typically performed in response to specific external stimuli. Today instinct is generally described as a stereotyped, apparently unlearned, genetically determined behaviour pattern.

britannica.com - instinct | Definition & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

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Summary

Defining instinct

In the past the term instinct has stood for a number of distinct conceptions about animal behaviour. For example, Alexander Jamieson, in the first volume of his A Dictionary of Mechanical Science, Arts, Manufactures, and Miscellaneous Knowledge (1829), defined the term instinct as “an appellation given to the sagacity and natural inclinations of brutes, which supplies the place of reason in mankind.” As a rough rendering of what the term instinct means to most people, this definition still has merit. If it is taken to include the possibility that humans too can be governed by instinct, this definition is broad and vague, encompassing the variety of senses that the term has since been used to convey. However, this inclusiveness is unable to distinguish the subtle differences of meaning encompassed by the terms instinct and instinctive. The words instinct and instinctive have borne a variety of meanings in the many different contexts in which they have been used. Their varied meanings and connotations are encountered in everyday language. For example, instinct can refer to reflexive or stereotyped behaviour, to an intuitive hunch, to a congenital aptitude or disposition, to a deep-seated impulsion (e.g., “maternal instinct”), to ways of acting that do not appear to have involved learning or experience in their development, or to knowledge that is inborn or subconsciously acquired. The concept of instinct is complicated by the fact that it ranges across behavioral, genetic, developmental, motivational, functional, and cognitive senses. There is also a likelihood that one of these senses might be taken to entail one or more of the others. For example, evidence that a pattern of behaviour depends upon a genetic basis frequently has been assumed to imply that the pattern is unlearned. The fallacy of this reasoning should have been betrayed by the commonplace knowledge that animals can be selectively bred for attributes (e.g., trail following and sheepherding in dogs) but require extensive training for their potential usefulness to be realized. Yet the dichotomous way of thinking continues to bedevil discussion and is the basis of the recurrent dispute known as the nature-nurture controversy (heredity versus environment), which entails debate over whether behaviour, intelligence, aptitude, character, and so forth are products of genetics or of exposure to environmental factors (e.g., culture). Even British naturalist Charles Darwin argued that inheritance implied development unaffected by experience.

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Why do some people never age?

They found that genes have a lot to do with looking young. There are thousands of genes in everyone's DNA that focus on cell energy, skin formation, and antioxidant production, but "ageless" people express them differently, and often for longer while others peter out as they age.

harpersbazaar.com - Here's Why Some People Don't Seem to Age, Ever

You know that frustratingly gorgeous friend of yours? The one who puts on some Chapstick and walks out the door, no problem, and still gets carded at way past 21? Scientists have finally figured out what her deal is. And no, it's not (just) plastic surgery. Researchers at Harvard Medical School paired with DNA analysis company 23andMe to figure out why some people seem to never age. They studied genetic data from 350 women from a variety of ages and ethnic groups. They then isolated people they deemed "exceptional skin agers:" people who were perceived to look younger than they actually were, but didn't have cosmetic surgery. Though they plan on studying more ethnicities, their first study focused on Caucasian and African-American women. They found that genes have a lot to do with looking young. There are thousands of genes in everyone's DNA that focus on cell energy, skin formation, and antioxidant production, but "ageless" people express them differently, and often for longer while others peter out as they age. And that expression differs by race; the study found that women of African descent had skin that aged 10 years slower than Caucasian women.

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The study was sponsored by , and it's the longest-ever study the beauty brand has conducted. They plan to use this research to develop new anti-aging products that help "activate" these genes for those without the genetic prize. The findings will be presented at the annual World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver.

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