On Curiosity*

In times of instability, curiosity provides the raw materials to adapt creatively to changing conditions¹. In this brief, I explore how an understanding of curiosity is vital.

*curiosity: the impulse to seek new info & experiences & explore novel possibilities

Being in a state of curiosity drives creativity, which allows us to adapt to change. While most of us recognize the importance of curiosity, our environments don’t always support it: For example, many employees encounter barriers to curiosity at work, despite encouraging employers².

  • For the longest time, curiosity was tangled with the idea that humans have an inherent desire to reduce tension. But what about other forms of curiosity, like that sense of wonder when we’re at a museum?

    Rather than asking “How curious are you?,” experts encourage asking “How are you curious?”

    These 5 dimensions help us answer that question³.

  • Photograph of a woman sitting on a living room floor looking at laptop.

    ① Deprivation sensitivity: Filling a knowledge gap is fulfilling because it offers relief. This doesn’t necessarily feel good, but the experience drives us to problem solve.

  • Photograph of a night sky with fireworks and umbrellas.

    ② Joyous exploration: That feeling of wonder towards the world around us. A pleasurable state, this is that sense of wanderlust – of joie de vivre.

  • Photograph of a cafe with people conversing at tables.

    ③ Social curiosity: At our core, we’re social animals – learning what others are thinking and doing by talking, listening to and observing people.

  • Photograph of a woman standing at the end of a cave. Ahead is a coastline with some rocks.

    ④ Stress Tolerance: Embracing the inherent anxiety associated with novelty.

  • Photograph of a woman hiking on the top of a peak.

    ⑤ Thrill seeking: Taking physical, social and financial risks to acquire varied, complex and intense experiences.

Curiosity rarely comes about in isolation. Rather, it emerges as a result of our interactions with the world around us.

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Here are some ways to evoke curiosity⁴.

  • Unopened present

    Novelty

    When something is new – or out of place – and we want to know or feel what it is. Note: As novelty wears off, the curiosity that arose is quickly fulfilled and gone.

  • Iceberg mostly under the surface

    Partial exposure

    We experience this when we encounter incomplete information – or a gap in our knowledge – like when information is hidden and later revealed.

  • Magnifying glass

    Complexity

    We experience this when we’re faced with ambiguity.
    In an attempt to interpret and explore the unknown, our curiosity is piqued.

  • Crystal ball

    Uncertainty

    We experience this when we’re faced with surprise, doubt and the need to make predictions.

  • Tragedy and comedy greek theatre masks

    Conflict

    We experience this when there’s a violation of expectation or an incompatibility between ideas and conflicting experiences.

In practice

Now that we have a better understanding of how we all approach curiosity — and how to encourage it — here’s an example of how curiosity can cultivate creativity.

Idea linking is a thinking technique that uses earlier ideas as an input for later ideas — each idea is a stepping stone to the next. This state of curiosity fuels creativity⁵.

Here, we can see how the Wright Brothers’s curiosity as bike shop owners set flight.

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