Human instinct. Ep. 4. Natural born heroes

Robert Winston presents this series that looks into what it means to be human: the instincts we have and why we behave the way we do. Humans have a natural instinct to help others, and, by extension, we are programmed to love and protect our children from birth. It all begins with a mother’s drive to protect her young, facilitated by a chemical reaction. The same experience occurs for men. With birth comes the transference of genetic material, especially in animals, and experiments are underway to see whether the same rule applies to humans, who will do more for those that they share the most genes with. The instinct to help others, particularly those who are more vulnerable extends beyond the family, to friends and complete strangers, and examples are provided from a soldier in the Vietnam War and survivors of the World Trade Centre bombing. Wanting to help others is related to our instinct to empathise, a phenomenon that Professor Robert Winston illustrated graphically through scientific experimentation. Our instinct to communicate with others is also covered.