Interrupting the anxiety allowed the instinctual emotional/biochemical reaction triggered by the Yellow's words to ebb.
Braydic responded with bared teeth and a snarl, an instinctual reaction when a pup was threatened.
Self-relatedness is a cue of kinship and causes an instinctual reaction to not be attracted.
It's become their instinctual reaction to scoring a goal.
Harry was also quick enough to slam a lock on his instinctual reaction, remaining almost as still as any of the ravers caught in the Pause.
Within the human brain, the amygdala regulates an instinctual reaction initiating this arousal process, either freezing the individual or accelerating mobilization.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani suggested that Clemens's toss was just an "instinctual reaction."
(p. 68) Consciousness equips an individual with the ability to override instinctual reactions, and because of this, rationalized decisions are much less predictable.
Therefore, the "contagious" yawn could be an instinctual reaction to a signal from one member of the group reminding the others to stay alert.