How to Revitalize Your Life With the Power of Curiosity
Do you have days or even weeks where you feel flat?
Like a can of Coke that has been left on the counter overnight.
Work seems like a dead-end activity, and relationships are draining.
You oscillate between feelings of anxiety, stress, listlessness, and numbness.
Hello, Netflix.
Happiness and fulfillment are for other people.
You thought life would be something more, something bigger. Instead, it is sandwiched somewhere between boredom and despair.
The good news is that you have an innate superpower at your service.
It is the power that drove you to click on the headline of this piece.
Your curiosity.
Curious?
Good.
Let’s explore what curiosity is, the power of curiosity, and how you can cultivate this superpower to reinvigorate your life.
What Is Curiosity?
Simply put, curiosity is a strong desire to seek new knowledge or learn how things work.
Curiosity underpins our world — it is the basis of philosophy, science, and education.
Without curiosity, there would be no tools, no taming of fire, no computers nor airplanes.
If you spend any time with children, their questions are incessant.
“Why does it rain?”
“Where does the rainbow end?”
“What does God look like?”
“How did the world begin?”
“Why is that woman homeless?”
Despite how exasperating these questions may be, curiosity is critical for children’s cognitive development.
You say this is all well and good, but how does it relate to my deflated life?
How is curiosity related to a happy and fulfilling life?
Let’s dive in and explore how this superpower positively affects our well-being.
What Is the Power of Curiosity?
Maybe you’ve heard that curiosity killed the cat. Sounds ominous. But then there is a version that makes more sense, with the rejoiner: “satisfaction brought it back.”
And that power is what we are going to explore in this article.
What is the power of curiosity?
How can curiosity bring us back to life?
Curiosity got us to where we are today
Our curious ancestors evolved and survived — they explored their environment and ways of behaving and solving problems, which helped our species survive and develop.
Curiosity helps us learn
Have you ever thought about how much better you remember things when you learn something you are curious about rather than when you are forced to learn? It turns out our brain rewards us for being curious by ramping up the activity of a brain chemical called dopamine, often called the happy hormone.
One researcher of the phenomenon says, “[O]nce you light that fire of curiosity, you put the brain in a state that’s more conducive to learning. Once you get this ramp-up of dopamine, the brain becomes more like a sponge that’s ready to soak up whatever is happening.”
Curiosity leads to better academic performance
Curiosity seems to be as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.
Curiosity helps us grow and develop our skills
Curiosity is related to a so-called growth mindset, or a belief that intelligence and personality are aspects that can be developed rather than static (fixed mindset). When we are curious, we are open to possibilities. We embrace novelty. We grow. Lack of curiosity narrows our vision and thus our lives and opportunities. Curious people display grit in the face of challenges.
Curiosity makes you feel good
You feel great when you pursue and satisfy your curiosity because dopamine starts rushing through your body.
As one research paper puts it, “Higher levels of curiosity constitute an intensely pleasant dimension of human functioning.”
Curiosity is associated with higher levels of positive feelings, lower levels of anxiety, and greater psychological well-being.
Curiosity reduces anxiety and negative feelings
Curiosity helps people tolerate uncertainty and distress and be less defensive when they experience uncertainty. Instead of giving in to anxiety, which drives fear, a curious attitude invites wonder.
Research shows that more curious participants were open to engaging with new and challenging experiences and that their negative mood was lower when facing stress.
Curiosity strengthens relationships
According to researcher Todd Kashdan, author of the book Curious?, “Being interested is more important in cultivating a relationship and maintaining a relationship than being interesting; that’s what gets the dialogue going . . . It’s the secret juice of relationships.”
Curious people enjoy socializing more, are less aggressive, and are more willing to see things from other people’s perspectives — all these aspects put inquisitive people at an advantage. Curiosity is a social glue that helps people connect and strengthens their bonds.
It is perhaps not surprising that researchers have developed a set of 36 questions that make people fall in love.
Curiosity is the core of all creativity
Without curiosity, you would live and work on autopilot. It’s hard to access our imagination if we are not curious. Albert Einstein reached his theory of relativity by imagining he was riding on a beam of light.
Einstein famously said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious,” and, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Curiosity is essential for healthy aging
Curiosity is important for maintaining cognitive function, mental health, and physical health in older adults.
Curiosity leads to more meaningful, fulfilling, and happy lives
Perhaps the strongest argument for being more curious is that we experience a more meaningful life when we live our lives with curiosity.
You realize there is so much to learn from everyone and everything, which is central to living a fulfilling and happy life. The world will appear rife with possibilities; instead of taking things at face value, you learn to peel away the layers and revel in the nuances.
Researchers Martin Seligman and Chis Peterson have devised a scientific classification of human strengths, recognizing 24 basic strengths. Curiosity is one of the five most highly associated with overall life fulfillment and happiness.
How to Cultivate Curiosity: 21 Ways
As we grow older, our sense of curiosity diminishes. There are many reasons for this, one being that as we learn more, we tend to become less curious. This is the pitfall of the expert: The more you know about a subject, the more likely you are to close your mind to further learning as you overestimate your knowledge. Intellectual hubris doesn’t only affect the expert — even those who believe themselves to be experts are vulnerable to closing their minds, also called Dunning Kruger Effect.
But the loss of curiosity is not a necessary trajectory of human development. Ian Leslie, author of the book Curious, says, “Curiosity is like a muscle. You need to work it in order to keep it powerful. We tend to assume that curiosity is this gift that keeps on giving, you’re either a curious person or you’re not. … That’s not true. You’ve got to consciously cultivate the habit of curiosity in order to stay a curious person.”
Let’s look at some practices that will cultivate a curious mindset:
1. Set your ego aside
Intellectual humility is key to being curious and learning — you won’t be curious about things you think you already know.
2. Revel in awe
Experiences of awe will increase your sense of humility and openness, which in turn supports curiosity. Go stargazing, walk in the forest or swim in the sea, play with an animal or a child, or visit art museums.
3. Seek out novelty
Novelty acts as a fertilizer for curiosity. Try out new activities and find new people with whom to socialize. If you feel your mind resist, remember Ted Lasso’s commandment: Be curious, not judgmental.
4. See the familiar with new eyes
Instead of zoning out when you are in familiar surroundings or with familiar people, engage your curiosity. Try to see things as if you are seeing them for the first time.
You can do this in several ways. You can use your phone to take photos of everyday moments when you notice how the light falls on a chair or cloud formations in a landscape you walk through every day, making it a visual meditation.
Try to see what normally is invisible to you, it could be the play of birds in the park, or ants on the pavement. In a crowd, you can notice the variety of dog collars, caps, or handbags.
5. Read widely
Read nonfiction to learn about other people’s lives and ways of doing things. The added benefit is learning from their mistakes without doing them. Read fiction to nurture your imagination. You could also listen to audiobooks or podcasts. When reading, choose topics or genres you don’t typically read to expand your horizon.
6. Discover the people you know anew
Ask people you know to share a couple of things you don’t know about them. This can be a good activity at a party, guaranteed to spread an engaging and positive atmosphere. Ask appreciative questions like, “What do you like most about your work?” “Tell me about one of your happiest moments in life.” “What are you proud of?”
7. Listen more and talk less
When engaging with another person, be present and listen deeply to what the other person is saying. Give them time to flesh out their ideas and ask follow-up questions to explore.
8. Engage in play
Plato believed play was the best way to explore life and do philosophy, which was the highest activity one could engage in. Curiosity and emotional well-being seem to be bidirectional (being curious makes us happy, and if we are happy, we are more likely to be curious).
Play is serious business and promotes well-being, even in adults. All mammals have a biological drive to play that has evolved over millions of years. There are now institutes of play dedicated to disseminating research about the importance of play.
9. Be curious about things or activities you dislike or fear
Ask yourself, “Why do I hate cauliflower?” or “Why do I feel anxious when socializing with people?” Don’t accept the habitual reaction that locks you in a predictable pattern. Try different ways of preparing cauliflower (perhaps you’ve always eaten it boiled) or socializing (maybe you are overwhelmed by many people and can try engaging with one or two people at a party).
10. Cultivate a beginner’s mind
Only by not knowing will you learn something. Always ask questions like “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how.” Questions trigger ideas and solutions. In Japanese Zen tradition, cultivating shoshin, or beginner’s mind, is an essential part of the practice. The Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki wrote, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”
12. Cultivate appreciative conversations
We live in a world created by our conversations. Appreciative conversations energize us, build meaningful engagement, and generate creative possibilities. When conversing, ask the most positive and inspiring questions that stretch the imagination and inspire new thoughts.
Appreciative conversations bring out the strengths in a person or a situation. Problems can be positively reframed or flipped to see how you can achieve the desired outcome instead of getting bogged down in a negative problem-thinking mode.
13. Shake up your daily routines
Familiarity can be a killer of curiosity. When you go for a walk, vary your routes. Try out different sports and new hobbies. Socialize with different people.
When you feel anxious, be curious anyway
You can halt anxiety by being curious. Instead of letting your anxiety grow into fear, ask: What am I feeling? What triggered this feeling? Have I reacted like this before? What do I think specifically is going to happen? By asking questions, you are moving into wonder and away from fear.
14. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is often defined as curiosity about the present moment. It could be meditating, or it could be just being present as the moment unfolds. What are you feeling? Doing yoga helps you be curious about your body. What is that feeling in my toe? Be curious about your breath. Notice it without judging how you breathe.
15. Cultivate your growth mindset
If you are presented with a challenge, be brave and embrace it. Like Pippi Longstocking, one of the most beloved heroines of children’s literature, said, “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”
16. Be a scientist in your own life
Be curious about yourself, your life, your emotions, and your relationships. Ask yourself appreciative questions that energize you. “What do I want to achieve this week?” “What are my values” “What was the best part of my day?” “What are activities I loved to do when I was younger that I would love to do again?”
17. Curate a list of things that lights up your curiosity
It is helpful to keep a list of things that you notice sparks your curiosity and that you would like to explore. That way, you will always have curiosity tunnels to dive into.
18. Learn something new
Keep a list of things you would like to learn — skills or knowledge you would like to develop. Following your curiosity when choosing to learn is part of your journey of self-actualization, or as mythologist Joseph Campbell put it, a way of following your bliss.
19. Slow down and take your time or just do nothing
Stress decreases well-being and can narrow your curiosity. Try to make sure you have plenty of time to recharge your batteries.
Niksen is a Dutch lifestyle concept of doing nothing that is becoming an increasingly popular way to destress. Try just sitting in a chair looking out a window, daydreaming, or listening to music — you can engage in any activity as long as it’s without purpose. It is not the same as mindfulness, where the goal is to be present in the moment. Niksen is about finding time to just be, without any particular focus.
20. Keep a curiosity journal
Gratitude journals are common, but you can also try to keep a curiosity journal or a journal for exploring.
21. Exercise
Try to exercise daily. Find an activity that gives you joy. Physical exercise has been linked to greater curiosity, chiefly due to its mood-boosting effect, increasing curiosity.
Remember: Every Moment Is New
In his book Curious?, Todd Kashdan emphasizes our tendency to view familiar things with less interest than the new, causing us to tune out.
“It’s not about being attentive; it’s the quality of our attention,” Kashdan writes. “By being open and curious in our moments, we can improve even the most mundane aspects of our daily routine.”
No moment is ever the same.
No commutes are ever the same, even if you take the same drive, subway, or bus. No two walks with your dog are the same, even if you take the same route. Even with the most familiar person, two hugs are always different.
Novelty always exists in the present moment.
Go Harvest the Power of Curiosity
That’s a wrap on your guided tour of the power of curiosity.
Curiosity has the power to heal.
When we are curious, life is more rewarding, interesting, and meaningful — curiosity simply makes our lives more fulfilling.
Although you may still have your deflated moments, you will know that thrills and joy are always waiting around the corner.
If you nurture your curiosity daily, life will be an ongoing adventure.
Use the tips in this article for a few weeks, and feel your life expand.
You’ll realize that although life may be short, it’s also wide and deep.
And magical.
It’s time to go get curious!
