What if curiosity didn't kill the cat? What if curiosity is actually what gives cats their nine lives?
This question may sound preposterous, so bear with us.
If you have a young child, or have recently been around young children, you’ve likely heard a conversation that sounded similar to the following:
● Why is the sky blue, mommy?
● But why blue?
● But why?
● What is blue?
● And so on, and so on…
Then, over the years, children outgrow this stage of unbridled curiosity. The questions become fewer, because the “answers” become more apparent. Or so it seems, yet that isn’t always the case.
Researchers have found that this lack of curiosity and curious questions isn’t just about growing up and becoming “smarter.” It’s actually about losing our genius. It’s about accepting what we’ve been told is “The Answer” and no longer seeking out new perspectives and ideas. And this can leave us stuck in a rut and unable to experience explosive creativity, genius and success.
"By accepting that you can’t know everything, you can better listen, ask questions, and reveal new insights,"
reports Alive health magazine, noting that maintaining a mindset of questioning, seeking and being curious is one way that scientists measure geniusness and a powerful way that people unlock new insights, breakthroughs and ah-ha moments.
But that’s not the only benefits that you can experience by maintaining a curious spirit!
3 More Ways Being Curious Boosts Your Life
1. It Gets You Connected to the Greater Human Experience
Want to make new friends? Forge new connections with your work colleagues? Build a world of equality by working to understand those in society who are different than you? Curiosity could be the key.
“Curiosity predicted positive relationship outcomes as a function of state curiosity generated during the interaction,” reports a study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. (2) By being curious, you're better able to maintain an open mind about someone else's experience, which can then help you learn and form a relationship that's unfettered by judgment or bias.
2. It Makes You Happier
Researchers report that people who maintain a sense of curiosity and an openness for what's new are more happy and content in life, and experience greater levels of self-growth and evolution. This may be because being curious and encountering new things releases dopamine in your brain, which is the hormone that helps us feel good. (3, 4)
3. It Helps You Learn and Remember More
In one study, researchers divided a group into two. One group was asked to memorize random bits of information. The other group was asked to choose topics that were interesting and made them feel curious, and then were told to memorize those facts.
The results were...well, curious! In the curiosity-driven group, MRI scans revealed that their hippocampus (the part of your brain that’s responsible with learning and creating new memories) was far more activated than it was in the brains of people who were just instructed to memorize random facts.
Thus, curiosity could help improve your knowledge, memory retention and wisdom!
One of the best ways to maintain a sense of curiosity is my enrolling yourself in free continuing education courses and lessons to expand your horizons and invite new experiences into your daily journey.
If you've found this topic helpful, but still need direction to apply it into your life; then click here to get a FREE 45-Minute Call with a coaching consultant at Achieve Today. They'll walk you through your goals, help you understand why you might be stuck, and give you some solid solutions to your problems.
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