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How frequently do you experience excitement when making new discoveries? How often do you genuinely inquire about your emotions, thoughts, and the origins of your ideas and beliefs? How often do you become curious about others and their emotions, thoughts, and experiences? How frequently do you ponder the world surrounding you? How often do you continue to engage in the same thoughts and behaviors even when you feel exhausted and completely bored?
Chances are, you are familiar with the sensation of boredom, just like the majority of people. Regrettably, similar to many others, You might have also become disconnected from the sense of curiosity and excitement about people, ideas, and the world around you. Perhaps you have also overlooked the sense of wonder, the joy of exploration, the art of daydreaming, and the pursuit of new discoveries.
It is not your fault.
Our natural inclination is to prioritize safety and routine due to their efficiency. When we come across something beneficial, our brain resists unnecessary exploration to conserve energy. Additionally, societal norms, career paths, and familial and cultural pressures frequently discourage curiosity in favor of stability and predictability.
Thus, we give up our childhood curiosity and conform to a routine existence under the belief that it is more beneficial for us. However, does this truly serve our best interests?
Apparently not!
According to research by Dr. Todd Kashdan and his colleagues, curiosity is extremely important.
Not only is curiosity essential for fun and excitement, Kashdan and his colleagues found that it is also essential for:
Dealing with stress, facing adversity better, and managing anxiety
Innovation in the workplace
Well-being
Intelligence
Intrinsic motivation
Social relationships
Curious people report higher levels of well-being, better relationships, and higher levels of mental and physical resilience.
"Of the character strengths, curiosity was in the top five most strongly linked to global life satisfaction, work satisfaction, living a pleasurable life, living an engaging life, and living a meaningful life." (Silvia & Kashdan, 2009)
So how can you boost your curiosity?
1. Start by understanding what curiosity is:
According to Kashdan (2009) curiosity has five dimensions:
JOYOUS EXPLORATIONS - seeking new information with an appetite for learning and growing.
STRESS TOLERANCE - being ok with not knowing, with doubting what you know, or with feeling confused or anxious after new discoveries.
THRILL SEEKING - being drawn to risky and intense experiences.
DEPRIVATION SENSITIVITY - seeking knowledge as a means of easing one's discomfort from lacking knowledge.
SOCIAL CURIOSITY - being curious about other people's thoughts, behaviors, ideas, etc., and engaging in conversations or observations to obtain this knowledge. Social curiosity can take form in two ways: Overt social curiosity - showing a true interest in getting to know people and in understanding them, and seeking the knowledge directly from them. Covert social curiosity - seeking knowledge about other people indirectly by snooping around, seeking gossip, or even spying on people.
2. Continue by practicing curiosity:
Let's choose the curiosity dimensions that are most correlated with the benefits mentioned above:
Joyous explorations
Stress tolerance
Overt social curiosity
For the next week: Write down three questions each day for each of the three dimensions:
Joyous explorations Examples: I wonder how it feels to live in Antartica...
I wonder how I can start a new business...
I wonder what I can do to form a community in my neighborhood...
Stress tolerance Examples:
Hmmm, I always thought that men are less emotional but this new research shows that it is not that simple... I was raised to think that my religion is 'the absolute truth,' but so many other people were raised to think the same thing about their own religions. I wonder what it means...
We are currently so divided by politics in the U.S. It cannot be that one side is completely right and the other side is plain wrong. I wonder if I should make more effort to try and understand the other side...
Overt social curiosity during a conversation:
Examples:
What was it about your conversation with your mom that was so upsetting to you?
I am trying to understand where you are coming from. Could you please share your thoughts and feelings with me?
How can I support you while you go through this?
Once the week comes to an end, you can develop a routine to nurture your curiosity once or twice a week. All it takes is to spend a few minutes to pause and delve into something fascinating to contemplate!
This practice is based on the following research:
Kashdan, T. (2009). Curious? Discover the missing ingredient to a fulfilling life. William Morrow & Co.
Silvia, P. J., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Interesting things and curious people: Exploration and engagement as transient states and enduring strengths. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 3(5), 785–797. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2009.00210.x