The relationship between biology and psychology is interesting since it explores the physical activities of the brain concerning behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. The interplay between biology and experiences assist in shaping the brain and determining an individual’s personality. Things that people do or experience are the products of the activities of the mind. Studies in biological and physiological processes have been instrumental in the understanding of human behavior. The sensory system offers people essential information to allow effective interaction with the environment. Human beings have sensory receptors that enable them to respond to certain stimuli in the environment; for example, sense, vision, hearing, touch, and taste. The way people interpret the information relayed by sensory organs determines their interaction with the environment.
Eating is one of the activities that I do on a regular basis in my life. I make food choices based on my experiences with tastes, textures, and desire for new food. I take meals at least thrice a day including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My acquisition of food preferences is affected by the psychological distinction and conflict between eating food for pleasure or health purposes. Before preparing any meal, I always develop a plan on the type, amount of food to be consumed, and the ingredients to be used. The biological determinants of the kind of food are the obtaining of sufficient nutrition for survival. I am inclined to take sweet tastes and fatty textures: I have always tried to avoid bitterness and foods that cause oral irritation. The amount of food available at a time determines the quantity of food taken, and sometimes I opt for additional portions to make sure that I am satisfied.
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Action potential refers to the drastic rise and succeeding fall in voltage with a definite pattern. The cell requires the administration of sufficient current needed to raise the voltage above the onset to trigger membrane depolarization. Action potential can be stimulated by sensing the smell of food that causes a person to feel hungry or have the desire to take a certain type of meal ( Haasova et al., 2016) . The cell membrane assists in regulating things that can cross the membrane or stay on a particular side. Energy is required by the cells to drive the movement of ions towards regions that have high concentration gradients of sodium and potassium.
The concept of neurotransmitters is applicable to the eating activity. Motivation is considered as a driving force for the pursuit of food. Human beings look for food for the desire to get basic needs. The meeting of the basic need of food enhances survival because a person can obtain desired quantities at suitable times. The motivation behaviors for food are regulated by the coordination of molecules including hormones, peptides, and neurotransmitters that drive the making of food-related decisions (Simpson, & Balsam, 2015). The internal psychological states of the body like hunger and thirst influences the desire of a person to interact with the environment in search of food. History like the type of food consumed the previous day or preceding meal affects the kind of stimuli response ( Huffman et al., 2015) . The outcome of consuming food is to attain the goal of satisfaction and to meet the nutrition needs of the body. Neurotransmitters involved in this case include serotine and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are not only beneficial for brain development, but are also triggered by the consumption of healthy carbohydrates and proteins. Local cues that activate the signal of food availability trigger an individual’s action to seek for specific food to obtain particular outcomes. Various sense organs play an integral part in the process of food consumption including the tongue, nose, and eyes.
Food entry into the mouth is detected by sensory receptors that relay information to the brain for potential action. The food and beverages consumed dissolve in our saliva and associate with the taste receptors located in the tongue (Haas, 2015). The taste molecules connect with receptors leading to chemical changes within the cells for sensation. As a result, the neural impulses are transmitted to the brain where taste information is interpreted. Contrary, perception entails the way the sensory the information collected from the environment is interpreted. Perceptions are founded on the sensory input; for example, the scent of food in the kitchen is sensed through smell by scent receptors. However, the interaction with the environment makes a person to perceive the kind of smell by relating it to various foods to determine the appropriate aroma.
In conclusion, biology in psychology plays an integral part in the study of specific behavior. The physical activities are attributed to the concept of sensation while psychological processes are as a result of perception. The knowledge of human behavior makes it possible to have an understanding of the way people act, think and feel. Also, biopsychology makes it possible to analyze social problems concerning their actions, for example, a person being aggrieved due to harsh childhood experiences.
References
Haas, E. (2015). Introduction to Psychology. Retrieved from https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11795/1.1
Haasova, S., Elekes, B., Missbach, B., & Florack, A. (2016). Effects of imagined consumption and simulated eating movements on food intake: Thoughts about food are not always of advantage. Frontiers in psychology , 7 , 1691.
Huffman, C., Comeau, J., Fisk, G., Grissett, J. O., MacLennan, J., McDonald, C., & Worthy, L. (2015). Introduction to Psychology (Georgia Southwestern State University).
Simpson, E. H., & Balsam, P. D. (2015). The behavioral neuroscience of motivation: an overview of concepts, measures, and translational applications. In Behavioral Neuroscience of Motivation (pp. 1-12). Springer, Cham.
