The Chofetz Chaim in his sefer Toras Habayis (פרק א) expounds upon this concept at length. He says that man's entire purpose is to overcome this natural instinct. This is the reason why he was created, and for this he will be justly rewarded. Because the natural world is so far removed from the holiness of the neshama therefore man's mission is so much more crucial, and is such an integral part of the תַּכְלִית הַבְּרִיאָה, purpose of Creation.
He presents a mashal which explains this concept. There was once a king who lived together with his son in a magnificent palace which lacked nothing. However, he sent his son to a faraway land where the cold was brutal, the food was abominable and the people were crude. While there, he had to wear coarse clothing to protect himself from the cold, he had to eat foods of inferior quality to which he was not accustomed, and he had to interact with the population who were far below his caliber. Whoever saw the drastic difference of his lifestyle while in this faraway land understood that surely his father must have sent him there on a crucial mission. For understandably he would only subject him to such harsh circumstances for an important goal, as the Chofetz Chaim says; לְתַכְלִית רָם וְנִשָּׂא for an elevated, greater purpose.
Indeed, in this faraway land there were many precious gems. The people of the land did not understand the value and the rareness of the stones that surrounded them. However back in the land where the father sat in his palace, these stones were considered greatly valuable and fit for the crowns of kings. Therefore, the man had to use his intellect to gather as much of these gems as possible and bring them back to his father's palace.
The nimshal is clear. Olam Haba is the true world. The palace which lacks for nothing, as the Mishnah says יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת שֶׁל קוֹרַת רוּחַ בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא (אבות ד יז) one hour of the unimaginable pleasures of Olam Haba is more beautiful than an entire life with all its possible pleasures in this world. And indeed, we are Hashem's children, as the possuk says בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם (דברים יד א) So why did He send us to this faraway world which is full of crude people and obstacles at every turn? Surely, He did this for an extremely elevated purpose. For only in this lowly world can we gather 'precious stones' which we will enjoy upon our return to the true world.
Precisely because of the physical, animalistic nature of this universe, whose inhabitants do not understand the value of the opportunities that surround them, can we use our intellect to elevate the hidden gems, and perform only goodness, thus bringing valuable treasures back with us.
However, in order to be able to keep the right perspective, and to remember the reason for our sojourn to this faraway land, we must constantly remember our origins and our abilities. We must not demean ourselves or minimize our value in our own eyes. Only if we understand the holiness of our neshamos, can we strengthen ourselves to let our neshamos, as opposed to our guf, constantly guide us. We must remember that we have the ability to rise above our physical beings and reach an extremely elevated state.