conscious choice vs. instinct

Consciousness as a way to process complex options better than "instinct" can.

Workspace / conscious thought allows imagining the future and consulting the past. Instinct makes cruder choices.

Perhaps consciousness allows a time delay that permits more complex decisionmaking. "Hold that decision!" Think it over. Instinct does not think things over.

mirror neurons

Do mirror neurons help us "read" our own feelings? Example: event causes smile; mirror neurons receive facial muscle info about smile and conclude we are happy. This would be on a different pathway from unconscious feelings.