Curiosity Guide: Awakening the Brain and Transforming Life Instinctively

Where did all our curiosity go? This is a guide for adults who have forgotten how to ask questions.

• Understand how curiosity works in the brain through neuroscience principles.
• Identify your curiosity style through the ‘Hunter’ and ‘Busybody’ types.
• Learn 7 concrete ways to awaken dormant curiosity in everyday life.

Introduction: Adults Who Have Forgotten How to Ask Questions

“Mom, why is the sky blue?” A child’s day is filled with endless “why?” questions. Everything in the world is a subject of exploration. But what about our days as adults? We wake up to an alarm, commute the usual route, and handle familiar tasks. There is hardly any room for curiosity.

Many accept the decline of curiosity with age as natural. However, author Ian Leslie warns in his book Curious that “humans grow old the moment they lose curiosity.” This article aims to show that lost curiosity is humanity’s most powerful ‘superpower’ that drives evolution and brain growth. Let’s embark together on the world of curiosity, the greatest instinct that can change your life.

The Nature of Curiosity: A Natural Vitamin for the Brain

The Instinct to Fill the “Information Gap”

What is curiosity? Psychology defines it as the desire to know something new, but the Information Gap theory explains it more clearly. Curiosity arises when we recognize a gap between “what I know” and “what I want to know.”

It’s like the sensation at the edge of a dark room illuminated by a single candle. Only when we recognize what we know (the candlelight) can we realize what we don’t know (the darkness beyond the light) and become curious about what lies beyond. This creates the paradox of knowledge and curiosity—the more knowledge we have, the greater our curiosity.

This primal desire was the driving force behind human civilization. Questions that seemed ‘useless’ for immediate survival gave birth to philosophy, science, and art.

The Neuroscience of the Pleasure of Knowing

Neuroscientists call curiosity the “most powerful natural vitamin for the brain.” The key ingredient is the neurotransmitter dopamine.

When we feel curious and find an answer, our brain’s reward circuit activates, releasing dopamine that brings satisfaction and pleasure. This is the essence of the intellectual pleasure we feel when gaining new knowledge.

Also, when curious, the hippocampus—the brain’s memory center—is activated, maximizing learning ability. Forced memorization is quickly forgotten, but information sought out of genuine curiosity stays with us for life.

The Amazing Gifts Curiosity Brings

Regaining curiosity offers us incredible gifts in this era.

1. Enhanced creativity and problem-solving skills: Curiosity is an inexhaustible source of creativity. It questions the obvious and connects seemingly unrelated ideas to create new value. Viewing failure as part of growth is essential for creative problem solving.
2. Greater happiness and life satisfaction: Curious people find meaning and novelty in daily life, experiencing higher levels of positive emotions. Genuine curiosity about others fosters empathy, helping form deeper bonds.
3. Lifelong growth and resilience: Curiosity is the engine of lifelong learning. Those who constantly learn and explore adapt better to change. From my experience, when the desire to know outweighs fear of the unknown, we gain the courage to leave our comfort zone and grow.

What Is Your Curiosity Style?

Not everyone experiences curiosity the same way. Understanding your curiosity type can be the first step to nurturing it. Are you a ‘deep-diving Hunter’ or a ‘broad-scanning Busybody’?

Comparison / Alternatives

Curiosity Style Comparison: Hunter vs. Busybody

Quality of Curiosity: Good Curiosity vs. Exploitative Curiosity

How one is curious matters beyond just being curious.

• Good curiosity: Arises from inquisitiveness that digs into the essence of problems and seeks answers independently. Fundamentally improves problem-solving skills.
• Exploitative curiosity: Attempts to offload problem-solving efforts onto others to relieve immediate frustration. Steals opportunities to develop independent thinking.

Checklist or Step-by-Step Guide

Here are 7 ways you can start today to become an explorer in daily life.

1. Adopt a ‘beginner’s mind’: Observe familiar things as if seeing them for the first time. Let go of the thought “I already know everything.”
2. Ask better questions: When encountering a phenomenon, habitually ask ‘Why, What, How.’
3. Redefine ‘boredom’ as ‘interest’: Instead of “This meeting is boring,” ask yourself, “What is the one thing I can learn here?”
4. Explore information outside your interests: Intentionally read books outside your field or watch documentaries on unfamiliar topics.
5. Follow traces of curiosity: When questions arise, jot them down and spend at least 10 minutes daily exploring them, enjoying intellectual adventures.
6. Create small adventures in daily life: Take a new route to work or order the most unfamiliar dish at a restaurant—intentionally create small new experiences.
7. Foster a curiosity-rich environment: Surround yourself with curious people, respect each other’s questions, and engage in conversations seeking answers together.

Conclusion

Curiosity is not the exclusive domain of a few geniuses but a skill anyone can relearn and train.

• Key summary 1: Curiosity arises when recognizing an ‘information gap,’ releasing dopamine that pleases the brain and maximizes learning ability.
• Key summary 2: Curiosity is the core driver of creativity, happiness, and lifelong growth, manifesting in various styles like ‘Hunter’ and ‘Busybody.’
• Key summary 3: We lose curiosity due to efficiency traps and fear, but can regain it through conscious questioning and exploration habits.

How about making today the first day you see your world not as a textbook full of answers but as a universe full of endless questions? Every great achievement begins with a single small question.