Part one of a two-part series.

Shortly after launch, the curious g posted curious about being curious which explored the motivation for curiosity. After nearly a full year of exploration, I’m now thinking about the effects of being curious.

Why do some people stop wondering when they turn 30 – taking the well-worn path from work to the couch with nary a variation – while others retain their sense of exploration into their 80s and beyond?

One explanation is that curious people have an ongoing, intrinsic interest in both their inner experience and the world around them. They tend to be attracted to all things new. For them, boredom is rare.

There’s being bored and then there’s being interested

There’s a big difference between boredom and interest. You can be doing relatively nothing, but still be fully engaged. For instance, you can be waiting in a long line at the post office. You can sigh a lot and fidget, or chances are, if you’re curious, you might people watch (…what is he doing over there?) or engage other people in line to pass the time.

But as with everything, there are benefits and drawbacks to… being fully engaged.

The upside of curiosity

• Curiousity benefits our social life. Curious people are often considered good listeners and conversationalists, and tend to bring fun and novelty into relationships.
• Curious brains are active brains. Active brains become smart brains. Curiosity is associated with intelligence and problem-solving ability. Curious people tend to create a rich environment around them to foster new ideas.
• An active brain is an open mind. Particularly as we age, our opinions may become more narrow and our attention span more limited – we get into a rut. For the curious-minded, more information passes their way, engaging the brain. (There’s a reason puzzles are associated with helping to keep dementia at bay.)
• The more we learn, the more we want to learn. Curiosity is associated with high performance in both academic and work settings. Evidence suggests an entwined relationship between curiosity and knowledge.

The downside of curiosity

• Curiosity in the absence of good judgment can lead to trouble. Curious people, when they’re on a quest, can become obsessed with research and outcome. Boundaries fly away, time blurs and soon three days have passed by. It’s like a bender except they’re sober and conscious, but singularly-focused.
• Being curious may clash with social norms. At times, there seem to be no boundaries on inappropriate or excessive questions. What do you do? How does that work? Why is that important to your job?

For most people, the benefits of curiosity far outweigh the risks and cultivating this strength can lead to both personal and professional rewards.

Stay tuned for part 2, lots of goodies there on how to get curious. So, are you?

This entry was posted Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 7:23 am and is filed under just curious. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.