Human behavior

1800s: Martineau · Tocqueville · Marx · Spencer · Le Bon · Ward · Pareto · Tönnies · Veblen · Simmel · Durkheim · Addams · Mead · Weber · Du Bois · Mannheim · Elias Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity (mentally, physically, and socially) of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life.

Behavior is also driven, in part, by thoughts and feelings, which provide insight into individual psyche, revealing such things as attitudes and values.

Human behavior is studied by the social sciences, which include psychology, sociology, ethology, and their various branches and schools of thought.

[3] The study of human behavior sometimes receives public attention due to its intersection with cultural issues, including crime, sexuality, and social inequality.

Neurology and evolutionary biology, study how behavior is controlled by the nervous system and how the human mind evolved, respectively.

It is highly complex and structured, based on advanced theory of mind that allows humans to attribute thoughts and actions to one another.

These norms affect every aspect of life in human society, including decorum, social responsibility, property rights, contractual agreement, morality, and justice.

What constitutes ethical behavior is determined by the individual value judgments of the person and the collective social norms regarding right and wrong.

[17] Deviant actions may be punished to prevent harm to others, to maintain a particular worldview and way of life, or to enforce principles of morality and decency.

Its nature varies by culture, but it is often contingent on gender, occurring in conjunction with sexual attraction and being either heterosexual or homosexual.

Humans typically maintain a standard level of happiness or sadness determined by health and social relationships, though positive and negative events have short-term influences on mood.

Most religious traditions involve variations of telling myths, practicing rituals, making certain things taboo, adopting symbolism, determining morality, experiencing altered states of consciousness, and believing in supernatural beings.

The circadian rhythm causes humans to require sleep at a regular pattern and is typically calibrated to the day-night cycle and sleep-wake habits.

In industrialized nations, eating habits that favor better nutrition, hygienic behaviors that promote sanitation, medical treatment to eradicate diseases, and the use of birth control significantly improve human health.

Basic behaviors of disgust evolved as an adaptation to prevent contact with sources of pathogens, resulting in a biological aversion to feces, body fluids, rotten food, and animals that are commonly disease vectors.

[45] Humans engage in a large variety of reproductive behaviors relative to other animals, with various mating structures that include forms of monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry.

[46] Unlike most mammals, human women ovulate spontaneously rather than seasonally, with a menstrual cycle that typically lasts 25–35 days.

Human walking corresponds to the bipedal gait cycle, which involves alternating heel contact and toe off with the ground and slight elevation and rotation of the pelvis.

Under the factory system, workers increasingly collaborate with others, employers serve as authority figures during work hours, and forced labor is largely eradicated.

It may be used to seek temporary relief from psychological stress, to produce positive emotions, or to facilitate social interaction.

However, leisure can also facilitate health risks and negative emotions caused by boredom, substance abuse, or high-risk behavior.

[57][59] Serious leisure behaviors involve non-professional pursuit of arts and sciences, the development of hobbies, or career volunteering in an area of expertise.

Object permanence and understanding of motion typically develop within the first six months of an infant's life, though the specific cognitive processes are not understood.

[70] Children develop fine motor skills shortly after infancy, in the range of three to six years of age, allowing them to engage in behaviors using the hands and eye–hand coordination and perform basic activities of self sufficiency.

[71] Children begin expressing more complex emotions in the three- to six-year-old range, including humor, empathy, and altruism, as well engaging in creativity and inquiry.

[75] Young children engage in basic social behaviors with peers, typically forming friendships centered on play with individuals of the same age and gender.

[77] Basic self-concept first develops as children grow, particularly centered around traits such as gender and ethnicity,[78] and behavior is heavily affected by peers for the first time.

The new hormones cause changes in emotional processing that allow for close friendships, stronger motivations and intentions, and adolescent sexuality.

[80] Adolescents undergo social changes on a large scale, developing a full self-concept and making autonomous decisions independently of adults.

Accommodations and accessibility are often made available for individuals with physical disabilities in developed nations, including health care, assistive technology, and vocational services.