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The science of curiosity
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Perceptual curiosity
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.
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Epistemic 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.
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The genetic component of curiosity
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.
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Curiosity and aging
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.
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Shyness
If the idea of mingling at a party or giving a presentation in front of people make you feel sick, you are not alone.
About 30% of shyness is because of genetics. The rest comes abo...
Shyness: Genes and environment
The environment has a large effect on personality and mental health. However, genetics may drive us to extract aspects of the environment that match our actual predispositions.
Genes and the environment work together as a dynamic system. Because of that, you can always change it through psychological therapies that can teach you techniques to cope.
Shyness is not bad
Shyness in itself is quite common and normal, but it can become a problem if it develops into social anxiety where you avoid things that need to be done. You might not be able to talk to people at work or have difficulties socializing.
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Curiosity leads us to generate alternatives
When our curiosity is triggered, we are less likely to fall prey to confirmation bias (looking for information that supports our beliefs rather than for evidence suggesting we are ...
Curiosity and innovation
Encouraging people to be curious generates workplace improvements.
When we are curious, we view tough situations more creatively. Studies have found that curiosity is associated with less defensive reactions to stress and less aggressive reactions to provocation.
Reduced group conflict
Curiosity encourages members of a group to put themselves in one another’s shoes and take an interest in one another’s ideas rather than focus only on their own perspective.
Thus, conflicts are less heated, and groups achieve better results.
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Curiosity declines with age
Children are extremely curious. They keep asking, "why?" and explore new things just because they want to know.
But research shows that during the schooling years, curiosity steadily declines, and as adults, we fall into fixed and convenient thought patterns.
The mechanics of curiosity
Research around curiosity found that children at age 5 scored 98% on a creativity test. When the same children took the test at age 10, only 30% scored well on the test. By age 15, only 12% of the same children did well. Less than 2% of adults are defined as creative based on their answer to this standardised test.
Science suggests this decrease in curiosity could be caused when we feel there's no gap between what we know and what we want to know, so we just stop being curious.