Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It

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We were very clearly reminded of that at the beginning of the era of quantum theory, where there were very small inconsistencies between what experiments told us and what theory told us ought to happen. It would have been tempting to disregard that, and say there’s just some little detail wrong, but because scientists at the turn of the century worried away at those little inconsistencies, we opened up a completely new way of understanding the world. The new office changed everything. Just like when you wear the right clothes for the occasion—when you wear a suit, you feel more confident and grown up—going to work in that real office changed my perspective. All of a sudden I felt like I had my own piece of real estate, my own franchise.

I know some people have really struggled to read lately. I had this for a while too. And when that happened, I turned to verse novels because they were just the right size and format for my tired brain and heavy heart. From my YA shelf, for example, I burned through Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew and Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann. They’re both so powerful and uplifting.Epistemic curiosity is the "good" form of curiosity (again in the opinion of the author). Epistemic curiosity is the pursuit of understanding and knowledge.

I met with Carlos Slim, the Mexican businessman who is the richest man in the world. 18 How does the richest man in the world live every day? I wanted to know what it takes to be that kind of businessman, to be so driven and determined that you win bigger than anyone else. One day I saw Ron Howard walking by. Ron was already famous and successful from his years acting on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, but he was trying to make the leap to directing. As he was walking by, I thought, I’m going to meet Ron Howard tomorrow. Okay, not everyone was equally charmed by my style in those days. I was a little scared of Nardino, but not scared enough to stop shouting out the window.Calley, on the other hand, was one of the hippest guys in the world. He knew movie stars, he socialized with movie stars. He was highly literate—he read all the time. He sat on his couch, with ideas and decisions winging through his office all day long without rules or rigidity. It finally dawned on me while writing another curiosity article how flawed this thought is. It’s impossible to “run out” of creativity if you’re curious. As long as you’re curious, you’ll never draw a blank on what to write for very long. If you pursue your curiosity, you’ll always stumble on new things to write about. Here’s how to be more curious and use it to boost your creativity for writing, based on research in psychology. Notice what surprises you and follow it The guy went on to say he had been a legal clerk. “I just quit today. My boss was a man named Peter Knecht.” There is interesting contrarian discussion arguing against Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Sir Ken Robinson about schools killing creativity. The more ideas (facts) we have in our head, the more opportunity for combining them into new creative patterns. This is something I can agree with. The greatest way for a parent to use books to spark curiosity and inspire a love for learning is to spend lots of time talking and listening to your child,” says Stoufer. She suggests listening carefully and taking note of their interests. You could even follow up with your child’s teacher to find out what’s coming up at school so you can explore those topics more at home together.

You can see some of that in T-Rex’s book choices. She’s got quite the collection. And this is the thing about books. It’s like leaping across lily pads. You might find one you like and from there you discover another and then maybe something in that leads you to one that’s a bit different. A journey of discovery without even setting foot outside your house. There’s just so much to learn and it’s all made so accessible by the clear, punchy writing and stunning artwork that we’re very much spoiled by when it comes to children’s books. Though I should add - not yet accessible enough in a world where not every child owns a book or has access to a library. Imagine if they did - imagine the great equalisers that books could one day be. Transporting us to other places This book introduced me to the concept of NFC (Need for Cognition), which is one I recognize and cherish in myself. Just a few weeks ago, as I was skimming through my day with my different interests (diversive-me), I suddenly felt the unsatisfied feeling of not biting deep enough. I was popcorning my day away. And then, I delved into a lecture. Mmmm.A final devil’s advocate question – whether we’re looking at the cosmos or the Higgs Boson, isn’t curiosity-driven science too much of an expensive distraction from the really valuable, life-changing science?