Great Thinkers: Embrace Your Animal Self

Introduction

We often think of ourselves as minds that happen to have bodies, rather than as animals who happen to think. From a young age, we’re taught to prize intellect over instinct, reason over feeling, and productivity over presence. But this lopsided way of living may be limiting us. What if, by overidentifying with our minds and underidentifying with our bodies, we’re cutting ourselves off from a deeper sense of freedom, peace, and even morality?

In The Wisdom of Insecurity, philosopher Alan Watts argues that true well-being comes from embracing our animal nature. He suggests that the modern obsession with control—over our thoughts and actions, our futures, and even our emotions—keeps us in a state of constant anxiety. Animals, by contrast, live fully in the present, responding to life as it unfolds rather than trying to dominate it. Watts says that by reconnecting with our animal selves, we can access a more intuitive, joyful way of being—one that aligns us not just with nature, but with a richer sense of morality rooted in connection rather than control.

But how do we do that? Below, we turn to six Great Thinkers who offer practical ways to reconnect with our animal selves and, in doing so, rediscover a more grounded way of living.

Paul: Listen to Your Body’s Signals

If we want to embrace our animal selves, we must stop treating the body as a machine that carries around the mind and start seeing it as an essential part of how we understand the world. We tend to believe that our experience of the world happens only in the brain—we take in information, process it through reason, and make decisions accordingly. But in The Extended Mind, science writer Annie Murphy Paul points out that we also navigate life using our bodies. She presents the human body as an untapped source of wisdom, showing how our gut feelings, posture, breathing, and physical movements give us valuable insights into life’s complexities.

Paul points to research showing that tuning into bodily signals—like a quickened heartbeat or a subtle feeling of unease—can sharpen our intuition and decision-making. Athletes, musicians, and even high-level business leaders often describe a sense of “knowing” that comes not from conscious thought but from deep bodily awareness.

Paul says you can learn to tap into your body’s wisdom through mindfulness meditation—a practice that helps you cultivate awareness of the present. That heightened awareness gives you a chance to notice and interpret the signals your body is sending you. With practice, you can use these signals to make decisions more intuitively and with greater clarity. For example, by tuning into the physical sensations of hunger or satisfaction, you can make more informed decisions about what, when, and how much to eat. Such an intuitive style of eating can help you embrace a more natural, balanced relationship with food and your body, as Evelen Tribole and Elyse Resch explain in Intuitive Eating.

Yong and Williams: Simplify Your Environment

In addition to listening to our bodies’ internal cues, we can embrace our animal selves by reducing our sensory overload. In An Immense World, journalist Ed Yong discusses how nonhuman animals rely on their senses to survive and navigate the world—for example, bats use echolocation to “see” in the dark. He explains that sensory pollution—like artificial lights and noises—disrupts animals’ ability to use these senses, leading to increased animal fatalities. Yong suggests that by understanding how animals perceive the world, we can make design choices and other interventions that reduce sensory pollution and support natural life.

These ideas don’t only apply to animals. Although we can’t see as many colors as some fish species or communicate via pheromones like ants, humans have a remarkable ability to sense subtle changes in our environment that help us navigate the world around us. And like other animals, we’re susceptible to sensory pollution—it prevents us from living well. As journalist Florence Williams explains in The Nature Fix, the constant barrage of artificial noise and bright lights—not to mention the endless influx of information through our digital devices—can overwhelm our senses, leading to stress, fatigue, and a sense of disconnection from the world around us.

Thinking of ourselves as part of the animal kingdom—creatures who rely on our senses to navigate the world—can help us take steps to simplify our environments and thereby reduce our sensory overload. On a large scale, this might look like preserving natural spaces like national parks and designing environments that prioritize quiet and natural light. On an individual level, you can start with smaller, personal steps. Simple actions like cutting screen time, minimizing background noise, or creating tranquil spaces at home or work can help you honor your sensory needs and live more in tune with your natural rhythms.

Montgomery: Cultivate Compassion and Curiosity

In addition to simplifying our environments, we can embrace our animal selves by cultivating compassion and curiosity—values that help us connect with the natural world and the creatures we share it with. In How to Be a Good Creature, naturalist Sy Montgomery emphasizes the importance of developing a deep empathy for animals, not only as beings to study but as sentient creatures worthy of respect. By learning to appreciate their perspectives, we can deepen our connection to the animal world and, in turn, to ourselves.

Montgomery shares her experiences with a wide range of animals, each one offering unique lessons about life, love, and companionship. For example, she explains how learning more about animals humans tend to revile—like tarantulas and chicken-killing ermines—taught her to appreciate their beauty and bravery. In turn, this perspective helped her rethink the way she approached difficult human relationships, like the one she shared with her mother. Her mother had something in common with ermines—in their fights to survive seemingly insurmountable odds, both had developed survival strategies that might seem harsh or difficult to understand.

Connecting with our animal selves means extending the same compassion and understanding to ourselves and others that we offer to the creatures we share the world with. Just as Montgomery learned to appreciate the overlooked strengths and struggles of animals, we can learn to recognize the complexities of human behavior. By approaching these complexities with curiosity and compassion, we can move beyond judgment and respond to difficult situations with greater patience and understanding. In doing so, we embrace our animal nature—our shared vulnerability, resilience, and capacity for growth.

Keltner and Kimmerer: Let Awe Guide You Toward Mutual Care

As you develop more curiosity about and compassion for other members of the animal kingdom—including fellow humans—you might find that you experience awe more often. Psychologist Dacher Keltner defines awe as a unique emotion that draws us out of ourselves and puts us in touch with something greater. In his book Awe, Kelter explains that sources of awe can be grand—as when we watch the Northern Lights—or mundane, like when we witness a mother bird feeding her chicks.

Research by primatologist Jane Goodall suggests that other species may share our ability to feel awe, indicating that awe is a fundamental animal instinct. Keltner theorizes that we evolved this instinct because it helps us recognize our place within something larger—which, in turn, fosters a sense of connection with other beings and a willingness to work together. Thus, leaning into awe may help us achieve the kind of mutual care Robin Wall Kimmerer describes in Braiding Sweetgrass.

Kimmerer, a Potawatomi botanist, explains that nature operates as a network of interdependent relationships: Plants and animals rely on one another for survival and thrive through these connections. She argues that humans must honor this arrangement, too, by developing a respectful, reciprocal relationship with the land and other life forms. In practice, this may look like stewarding and protecting the land, using resources mindfully, and practicing generosity.

Leaning into awe can help us accomplish this—when we see ourselves as part of the larger web of life, we feel motivated to nurture it. Further, nurturing the living world helps us nurture our animal selves. As Kimmerer explains, mutual care leads to a thriving planet, healthier communities, and long-term well-being for all species, including humans.

Great Thinkers’ Advice for Embracing Your Animal Self

• Annie Murphy Paul (The Extended Mind): To embrace your animal self, start listening to your body's signals. Tuning into these physical cues can enhance intuition and decision-making, helping you navigate life more naturally and mindfully.
• Ed Yong (An Immense World) and Florence Williams (The Nature Fix): Remember that, like animals, you rely on your senses to navigate the world—and simplify your environment to reduce sensory overload and reconnect with your natural rhythms.
• Sy Montgomery (How to Be a Good Creature): All animals, including you, have their own struggles and survival strategies. So, approach your relationships with compassion and curiosity—as a result, you'll deepen your connections with others and yourself.
• Dacher Keltner (Awe) and Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass): Lean into awe by connecting with the natural world and recognizing your place within it. This will inspire you to care for the environment and nurture healthier, mutual relationships.

What Do You Think?

Do you think of yourself as part of the animal kingdom—why or why not? How might embracing your animal instincts—like bodily intuition, sensory awareness, or awe—change the way you move through the world? What small shifts could you make in your daily life to feel more connected to nature and other living beings?