Unpacking Human Behaviour: What Drives Us, Why We Do It, and How We Can Use It to Our Advantage

If there is one thing I have learnt in all my human-centred discovery work it is that human behaviour is pretty wild, right? There are a ton of things that drive us to act the way we do, and it can be hard to make sense of it all. But don't worry, I've got you covered. In this article, I am gonna break down some of the key factors that drive human behaviour and talk about what some of the most influential researchers in the game have to say about it.

Needs and Wants

First things first, we're all out here trying to get our needs and wants met. According to Abraham Maslow, who was way ahead of his time back in the '40s, we've got a pyramid of needs to work through. It starts with the basics like food, water, and shelter, and moves up to safety, social connections, self-esteem, and self-actualization. The idea is that we're motivated to fulfil these needs so we can become the best version of ourselves. Recently psychologists and millennials have argued that wi-fi needs to be included in Abraham's pyramid and Scott Barry Kaufman suggests we need to rethink the whole shape all together: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/sailboat-metaphor/ however you look at it these ideas of needs and wants as motivating factors stand true.

Emotions

Emotions are another big factor when it comes to human behaviour. We've all got our feels, and they can have a big impact on the decisions we make and the way we act. Researcher Paul Ekman identified six universal emotions that we all experience: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. It's pretty wild to think about how much these emotions can affect our lives. Brene Brown takes it all up a notch in her book atlas of the heart, she explores eighty-seven?of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human and walk through a new framework for cultivating meaningful connection.?https://brenebrown.com/book/atlas-of-the-heart/

Social Influence

Let's be real, we're all influenced by the people around us. We might think we're all independent and stuff, but the truth is, we're social creatures. Sociologist Emile Durkheim said that social norms and expectations have a big influence on our behaviour. And then there's the whole idea of conformity - like, remember those experiments where people would just agree with the group even when they knew the group was wrong? It's wild.

Personality Traits

Our personalities play a big role in how we behave. Some people are naturally outgoing, while others are more reserved. Psychologist Raymond Cattell came up with 16 personality factors that he believed could predict human behaviour. Other researchers, like Hans Eysenck and Robert McCrae and Paul Costa, have their own models that focus on traits like extraversion, openness, and neuroticism. It's pretty interesting to think about how our personalities affect the way we act. My favourites for exploring personality include: https://www.16personalities.com/, https://high5test.com/ and https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test

Learning and Conditioning

We learn a lot of our behaviour through conditioning. Psychologist B.F. Skinner did some experiments that showed how our actions are shaped by the consequences that follow them. So if we do something and we get rewarded for it, we're more likely to do it again in the future. Makes sense, right?

Cognitive Processes

Our thinking processes also have a big impact on our behaviour. Psychologist Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory says that our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes can all affect the way we act. So if we think we can achieve something, we're more likely to take steps to make it happen. This explains why I am always banging on about thinking positive, as my ex-husband used to remind me, whether you think you can or can't, you are right!

Let's Look at the Big Picture

So what does all this tell us about human behaviour? Basically, there's a lot going on! There's no one thing that drives us to act the way we do - it's a combination of a bunch of different factors, like our biology, social connections, and the environment we're in. As neuroscientist Antonio Damasio puts it, "human behaviour comes from a whole lot of stuff that we're still trying to figure out." But hey, that's what makes us so interesting!

The key is to keep discovering, stay curious and believe in better!

• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
• Ekman, P. (1999). Basic emotions. In T. Dalgleish & M. J. Power (Eds.), Handbook of cognition and emotion (pp. 45–60). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/0470013494.ch4
• Durkheim, E. (1984). The division of labor in society. Free Press.
• Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.), Groups, leadership and men (pp. 177–190). Carnegie Press.
• Cattell, R. B. (1946). Description and measurement of personality. Harcourt, Brace & Co.
• Eysenck, H. J. (1967). The biological basis of personality. Charles C. Thomas.
• McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.81
• Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Free Press.
• Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. General Learning Press.
• Damasio, A. R. (2010). Self comes to mind: Constructing the conscious brain. Pantheon Books.