The curiosity we feel when something surprises us or when something doesn’t quite agree with what we know or think we know.

That is felt as an unpleasant state, as an adversity state. It’s a bit like an itch that we need to scratch. That’s why we try to find out the information in order to relieve that type of curiosity.

This is a pleasurable state associated with an anticipation of reward.

That’s our level of knowledge. That’s what drives all scientific research. It drives many artworks. It drives education and other things like that.

Most psychological traits, and curiosity is no exception, have a genetic component to them.

The fact that some people are much more curious than others largely has to do with their genetics. But, as in all cases, genetics is never the whole story.

Love of knowledge and our willingness to learn new things appears to be constant across all ages.

People at very old ages are still willing to learn things, to discover new things, to read. The topics that you are curious about may change with age or with time or with whatever occupation you are in.