Biological bases of behaviour

Abstract

Effective human survival on this earth is achieved by adaptive behaviour, made possible by the evolution of a brain and nervous system which bear the imprint of solutions to survival over millions of evolutionary years. For man, some large part of his knowledge has been acquired during his lifetime, but for him as for all living creatures there are innate programmes which regulate many functions. Whatever we do, my writing, your reading, our sitting, breathing and wakefulness involve countless electrical and chemical events within us, most quite beyond conscious awareness.