[Polpolion]

I've noticed more so than usual that when people are out "relaxing" or having fun with some acquaintances, they are almost always a bit more active, laugh at things that aren't funny, and generally more hyper. It would seem as though people make decisions quicker, but ultimately put less thought, as opposed to impulse, into them. However, this contrasts greatly (in most cases) to when people are alone or at work at something. When doing that, they do tend to think, and therefore come out with more reasonable decisions.

So that leads me to my question: Is human behavior primarily the un-inhibited crazy impulses, and secondarily more rational only when people have time to think about things, or is human behavior rational and thoughtful primarily, and secondarily impulsive only when people can't think about things?

[General Battuta]

I hate to nitpick, but don't our actions define what it is to be human, rather than the other way around?

It seems hard to figure out when we act most human when 'acting human' is defined as 'the collective set of our actions'.

[Mefustae]

I hate to nitpick, but don't our actions define what it is to be human, rather than the other way around?

It seems hard to figure out when we act most human when 'acting human' is defined as 'the collective set of our actions'.

Some people have a problem realizing that the 'norm' is anything but. That's why I find it so incredulous when people say homosexuality or, hell, just being a sci-fi geek is somehow not "normal".

Human behavior is just how humans act, so you can't be more "human" at one point in time than another. It's like asking when a glass of water is most like a glass of water, when it's half full or half empty?

[Polpolion]

Or it's like asking "Are canines naturally domestic or wild?" without that obvious of an answer. Anyway, my simplification seems to be bad, so I'll take it out.

[spartan_0214]

Also, remember that humans emotions are fundamentally just chemical reactions within our brain. When we're out partying, different chemicals are released when we interact with other people than when we're at work problem solving. When you talk to people at work, you're either politicking or you're in that "problem solving" mode. When you're out partying, you're trying to have fun, not trying to think. You make different decisions when you're in different mind-sets, moods, etc. So, to answer your question human behavior is just human behavior. Hope that helps...

[blackhole]

Does it matter?

[Janos]

Human behaviour is, for obvious reasons, incredibly hard and difficult to study empirically, and that's why most of the evidence is circumstantial - well-research and completely plausible, but you cannot really cut brains or put people through long-term research projects that would (rightly) be called inhuman. This is of course quite bad for strictly empirical approach, where you gather data A B C and D and then calculate hypothesis X.
Human behaviour is a very complex mess of epic proportions, where we sometimes first decide the course of action we take and only then even think about it and try to rationalize it. The way people act purely on instinct often really stands out in social contact. After all, we are still pretty much the same guys who roamed the drying Africa only a few tens of thousands of years ago. Read about t-shirt sniffing, it's fantastic.

As for the original question, I'd just throw an educated guess and say that when people are alone and safe, their instincts and impulses don't stand out because A) you cannot really observe yourself as impartially as other and B) you don't even use that many of your instincts - many of which relate very directly to trying to copulate with a suitable mate - when you are alone. And you don't have that much time to ponder your decisions.

[castor]

It's the social norms. The norms in working environment are more restrictive (people fear they appear unprofessional or unqualified).