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73. The advice to act naturally or follow ones instincts can, admittedly, be helpful advice for someone torn between difficult career or personal choices in life. In most situations, however, following this advice would neither be wise nor sensible. Following ones own instincts should be tempered by codes of behavior appropriate to the situation at hand. First of all, doing what comes naturally often amounts to impulsive overreaction and irrational behavior, based on emotion. Everyone experiences impulses from time to time, such as hitting another person, quitting ones job, having an extramarital affair, and so forth. People who act however they please or say whatever is on their mind without thinking about consequences, especially without regard to social situation, may offend and alienate others. At the workplace, engaging in petty gossip, sexual harassment, or back-stabbing might be considered natural yet such behavior can be destructive for the individuals at the receiving end as well as for the company. And in dealings with foreign business associates, what an American might find natural or instinctive, even if socially acceptable here, might be deeply insulting or confusing to | 
