Part 10/16:
The hypothalamus regulates some primary motivations—hunger, thirst, pain—while others, like anger, sexual desire, exploration, and play, involve more complex circuits. These motivations can be grouped into fundamental Darwinian categories:
Self-Maintenance: hunger, thirst, pain, thermal regulation, threat response, escape.
Reproduction: sexual desire, parental care, social affiliation.
Exploration and Play: vital for learning and social integration.
Each system has an embedded value orientation—prioritized based on context, organism health, and social environment.