Curiosity: Don’t You Want to Know? Don’t You Want to Find Out?

Curiosity – even the word by itself makes you wonder. Understanding the definition, curiosity is the desire to learn or know about anything. Another source says curiosity is the desire to learn or know something interesting because it is unusual. On any given day, individuals encounter a barrage of new and interesting information, the majority without even noticing: the sign on the billboard, the pendant on someone’s necklace or small print. However, there are some pieces of information that tend to pique interest: a new song on the radio, the cool picture on social media or the latest technological gadget.

There are times when existing information or things spark curiosity leading to new and innovative information, things or ideas. The curiosity that leads to new ideas is usually produced through a questioning phrase such as “I wonder if…”, “What if I…”, “How would I go about…” or “It would be cool if…”. Examples of these phrases are endless, but notice the majority of them usually contains or ends in the word “if”. The word “if” is often used in situations of curiosity because it unlocks the door to many possibilities.

One major benefit of curiosity is it increases our capacity to learn, understand and retain new information. When discussing a recent experiment involving 19 volunteers and trivia questions, Psychologist Charan Ranganath stated, “There’s this basic circuit in the brain that energizes people to go out and get things that are intrinsically rewarding, this circuit lights up when we get money, or candy. It also lights up when we’re curious. When the circuit is activated, our brains release a chemical called dopamine, which gives us a high. The dopamine also seems to play a role in enhancing the connections between cells that are involved in learning.” As a result of the experiment, those participants who were more curious were more likely to remember the right answers when tested again.

On the other hand, a major risk of not being curious is a lack of growth and personal development. Here, we must realize if we’re not trying to learn and discover new things, we remain stuck and unable to adapt to the ever-changing environment this world presents. When trying to gauge or increase your level of curiosity in order to discover or create new things, consider the following questions:

• What drives my curiosity?
• What things do I often ponder that sparks my curiosity?
• If I explore possibilities without limits, where would or could the journey take me?
• What if?