Some people show a preference for seeking out new knowledge and experiences for their own sake. In fact, they often accept psychological, social, and even physical risks to obtain these experiences. Each of us feels this way sometimes but there are some people who show a preference to expand the boundaries of who they are, what they know, and what they do. We can call these people "curious explorers."
It requires a willingness to recognize that what we know is limited and that as soon as we think we understand something, we stop paying attention. It requires an ability to tolerate the pain, ambiguity, and confusion that arises anytime we leave our comfort zone. It requires a desire to continue growing and evolving as a person. We have to be vulnerable to explore new territory. After all, we are going to make mistakes, get hurt, and look foolish every once in awhile. Unfortunately, our society doesn't reward someone who is willing to be vulnerable. Instead our society rewards people that possess unwavering confidence, a sense of certainty, and a personality that can be easily labeled and understood. If you disagree, consider these scenarios.
Politicians who refuse to take an unambiguous stance on an issue. Genetically engineered foods, good or evil? Pick an ally, Israel or Palestine? Right now, decide the fate of women making difficult decisions around the globe, are you for or against abortion? When is the recession going to end? (and while you're at it, give us an exact date.) Anything less than certainty and everyone is aghast because leadership is about making decisions. The idea that context matters and both sides have a point is ludicrous. Keep it simple. Stick to soundbites.
College students who have yet to declare a major. This is what they often hear from parents, teachers, and peers: "what are you waiting for?" "what's wrong with you?" "you do know that you're falling behind everyone else?" and "why are you in college if you don't know what you want to do with your life?" Uncertainty is the mark of weakness. After all, what a silly notion to get an ample tasting of what different fields have to offer. What a silly notion to better understand what one is passionate about before committing to a single career for the next 60 years.
Thankfully, some curious people from the past felt compelled to share what they learned from their explorations. Sir Francis Bacon, the great British scientist, philosopher, lawyer, historian, and education reformer of the 1600's, was curiosity incarnate. Some of his most famous statements on the topic still resonate 400 years later.
On the ability to tolerate pain, novelty, and ambiguity:
If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.
As the births of living creatures at first are ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.
It is a miserable state of mind to have few things to desire and many things to fear.
A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it.
Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.
He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.
They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
On other people and how they help and hinder our ability to be open, curious, and flexible:
Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.
Man seeketh in society comfort, use, and protection.
A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open.
Besides being hard working and ambitious, Bacon possessed boundless curiosity. Consider a single day of his life. In 1626, he was heading home in a carriage on a snowy evening with one of the king's physicians. Horse carriage small-talk and gossip was interrupted by an idea that Bacon couldn't shake. Looking at the snow-covered ground, Bacon wondered if a dead body or "meat" could be preserved in the ice cold temperature. Bacon had to know the answer. Not content to wait until he returned home, he stopped the driver and jumped into the snow like a child let loose on a Toys R Us shopping spree. He bought a hen from a peasant woman, paid a little extra to have it killed, and stuffed the dead hen with snow. Bacon, in all his wacky glory, could barely contain his enthusiasm as he shivered in the bitter wind waiting to see if there was any merit to his idea. Only when he was thoroughly chilled and his experiment was over did he continue his journey to a friend's house. Once there, he started showing signs of serious illness. Although the historical record is unclear, he contracted either bronchitis or pneumonia before this little expedition. And later that night, he died. Think about it. The man died to satisfy his curiosity! And a pretty morbid moment of curiosity at that.
Here you have a moment that is both tragic and beautiful. A famous historical figure died the same way he lived. A man in love with discovering knowledge and creating meaning provides the world with a final factoid about how to preserve chicken and beef for later in the week. His story highlights the fact that curiosity is a powerful motivator for why we do the things we do. Understanding this motivation allows us to understand human nature.
There is not a shred of scientific evidence to suggest that being incurious and intolerant of uncertainty and change is the road to wellness. The unknown will always outweigh the known. Exploring new terrain can help us build pleasurable, engaging, and meaningful moments. These moments are the building blocks of a life well-lived.
Dr. Todd B. Kashdan is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at George Mason University He is the author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. Details about his book and research can be found at www.toddkashdan.com
Follow Todd Kashdan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/toddkashdan
I have always wondered what is the underlying reason for our curiosity. I understand that we are driven to make sense of the world. As a matter of fact, we could say even some animals show curiosity to explore and experiment as the only means to learn to relate to their environment.
But could you explain why is there that burning need to find answers. Could we say there is a reason based on the physics of consciousness? Scientist claim that current composition of the universe is several orders of magnitude more complex than it was a million years ago. There is an ever present tendency towards a higher meaning and beauty in nature and hence in us as well. That tendency is fed by curiosity. It is innevitable in many ways. Could the concept of entelechy have something to do with this drive?
Fascinating subject
Thank you for this post
Javier
We appear to be hardwired for curiosity and we are not even close to the only species. The evolutionary advantage of being curious and anxious in the presence of some new, interesting person or part of the world makes sense. Anxious because anything novel and challenging can harm us so we need to be wary. Curious because anything novel provides at least some small tidbit of new knowledge that improves our ability to navigate the challenges of an uncertain, unpredictable world.
There are a ton of factors that help us or prevent us from embracing challenges that are just manageable and the fact that we know so little and think that we know much more than we do. Parents, peers, and other people in our lives play an important role. Do they support our explorations? Do they acknowledge that being anxious is perfectly normal when trying to stretch and grow as a person? Do they give us freedom to act on our interests and passions? An important piece of a complex puzzle.
thanks for contributing to the discussion.
cheers,
Todd
First, it is not the only ingredient but it is a damn important one. Without curiosity and exploration, we stagnate.
Second, being curious is less important than what being curious motivates us to do. When we feel interested or curious, we want to explore which leads to us to make discoveries (no matter how slight) that enhances our skills and knowledge and wisdom that allows us to grow as a person and be more adept at extracting pleasure and meaning from events in our life, understanding and creating goals that are aligned with our values, managing uncertainty and "negative" feelings, and creating a firm foundation for a rich, meaningful existence. We are not always happy but when we are profoundly aware and curious our moments are enriched. And sometimes we catch happiness along the way.....
Happiness is just one of many dimensions of a well-lived life and some of the other dimensions are equally if not more important-----meaning and purpose in life, satisfying relationships, competence and mastery in a complex world, distress tolerance, and so on.
Third, these are not just opinions, these ideas are based on the latest science.
what do you think unfolds when we break down a fulfilling life?
cheers,
Todd
Your remark is very telling: “It requires a willingness to recognize that what we know is limited and that as soon as we think we understand something, we stop paying attention.”
Curiosity is a gift of the human mind. As "The Love Linguist" I see there is great curiosity during dating. The thrill and curiosity to continue to explore someone with whom you have familiarity rarely happens. It is when an affair or some other remarkable event occurs then you look at the person again with new eyes, curious eyes. You wonder, “What did than man see in her that I don’t. What have I been missing?” It is all about attention.
Many men say once they’ve “caught a woman” they check that off their list and move on to the next thing such as making a living. The focus and attention on her is less or sometimes negligible. In relationships there must be curiosity to constantly learn more about someone and even better learn something new together. As you said, “It requires a desire to continue growing and evolving as a person.” I would add “evolving as a couple.”
Use curiousity to “build pleasurable, engaging, and meaningful moments” together.
This is my favorite topic because far too many people even think about the importance even necessity of being curious and to never stop exploring one's friends, family, and romantic partners. Absolutely, it is is impossible to evolve as a couple without these qualities. Working with clients, the number one issue I find is that people are bored and partners don't ask enough questions and take interest in their life.
I wrote a chapter in my book on the science of relationships and how being in a relationship is our ultimate source of expanding as a person. This helps explain why we choose similar vs. dissimilar people, why relationships start to falter after 2-3 years (on average), and how we can revitalize relationships by tearing down the stereotypes, labels, assumptions, and expectations that prevent us from seeing people as they are in the present moment which is unique from any other moment.
thanks,
Todd
For nothing is more wasteful or useless than trying to make explorative folks unimaginative or trying to to teach pigs to fly. Different people have different comfort zones when it comes to novelty and facing uncertainty. We should simply stop to discriminate against some on that basis.