According to research mastering curiosity will improve your intelligence, professional performance, social life, romantic partnership, friendships and make you happier.
And I will dare to add that it will increase your self-awareness.
Did I forget anything?
Oh, yes I forgot the cherry on top! A study shows that curiosity will also increase your attractiveness.
Think about it, Is there any other trait that can improve so many aspects of your life?
Curiosity is exceptionally powerful.
It encourages us to ask questions, seek answers, think critically, observe, reflect and solve problems.
It enables us to be open to others, build understanding and fosters empathy.
The need for curiosity
Current global changes require that we seek clear understanding and innovative ways of doing things, promoting and improving the wellbeing of all living things.
Tapping into curiosity helps us navigate change easier, prioritize the heart of the issue, facilitating better problem-solving strategies and solutions.( 1)
The key is changing our focus from searching for the right answer to asking better questions.
Usually, the issue is not an inability to find a solution but not really understanding what the problem is.
As Einstein would say:” If I would have an hour to solve a problem, I would spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about the solution.”
If we want to solve a technical issue, a problem in our local community, our work issue, our family or ourselves. The general notion doesn’t change, first, we have to have the utmost clarity of what we are trying to solve.
Are we really sure that what we see as the main issue is the core of the problem?
Increasing intelligence
Curiosity has long been associated with the capacity to increase our intelligence, learning and memory. (2, 3, 4)
But recent studies show a much wider effect of an inquisitive approach to life.
Interpersonal benefits
Curiosity has been proven to have a remarkable positive effect on a wide range of relationship dynamics.
Rejection along with aggression can be destructive to a relationship. By adopting curiosity as part of your communication style, you can drastically lower assumptions – reduce judgements about other people’s behaviours, misunderstandings and finally be able to avoid conflicts.
People with a curious mindset will have more positive social interactions and intimate conversations. (5)
Research conducted in Japan between 20 to 39-year-olds, shows that curious individuals will be less sensitive to social rejection.
They are not prone to negative thinking or depression if they do not receive invitations or if their friends don’t meet their request. ( 6)
Curiosity helps cultivate emotional resilience! It was linked to less aggressive responses towards people and romantic partners who caused emotional pain. ( 7)
Curious people are also more accurate in evaluating verbal and non-verbal cues in other people. They are considered to be more attractive and after just one conversation individuals often feel an immediate connection. (8, 9)
The famous relationship therapist Esther Perel defines curiosity as the key element for a healthy relationship, keeping us interested in ourselves and our partner.
Promoting curiosity in relationships is essential to enable us and the other to evolve and change.
We are ever-changing, so it is important to stay open to each other’s growth and evolution and be aware of our suppositions.
The person that you met 1 or 5 years ago, is not the same person you know today.
Our sense of identity is flexible and not an unchangeable construct. (10)
Nourishing interest in another’s person’s internal world creates intimacy and a long-lasting connection between romantic partners, friends and colleagues.
Personal benefits
Cultivating inquisitiveness helps you understand yourself better, accept your shortcomings, and facilitates openness and flexibility.
Curiosity encourages you to become more proactive- makes you more self-aware and helps you make conscious choices based on your values.
It makes you less reactive and helps you to avoid acting out on emotional impulses and
assign blame to circumstances.
Questioning your own points of view, how they got formed, what influenced them ( ideas, experiences and what emotions formed them)
raises self-awareness and enhances the clarity about what is actually your real truth and not an adopted one.
It brings awareness to the fact that we allow our experiences to create barriers to our thinking. It enhances the understanding of our referential field, where we build our impressions of the world from.
Ultimately it takes curiosity, self-awareness and conscious effort to be able to think outside the box.
Professional benefits
There are also impressive advantages that we can harness in our professional life just by tuning in to a more curious mindset.
Research published in the Harvard Business review shows a wide range of benefits that curiosity has for leaders, employees and organizations. (1)
The main benefits as presented by the researcher Francesca Gino can be summarised in 4 main points:
Reduced decision-making errors
Curious leaders were less likely to fall prey to the confirmation bias, being more accepting of opinions that prove them wrong. They make less self-made assumptions and stereotypes.
Innovation and positive changes in creative and non-creative jobs
In a study with over 200 employees from different industries half of them received questions that triggered curiosity and the other half questions that stimulate reflection. Those receiving curiosity-enhancing questions showed better performance.
Fewer group conflict
Curiosity strengthens the ability to see from the other’s perspective and increases empathy.
Not focusing only on one’s own perspective makes collaboration easier and more effective, allowing the group to achieve better results.
Open communication and better team performance
Research done on the performance of executives at the Harvard Kennedy School showed that those that participated in tasks that increased their curiosity performed better than the control group. They were better listeners and able to share the information more openly.
Enhancing happiness
When we are curious we feel alive and engaged.
We see things differently and use our power of observation more fully, we are more open to embracing new opportunities, make connections and experience insightful moments.
Harvard University psychology professor Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D. in his book Stumbling on Happiness shows that we actually do not know what will make us happy in the future.
And are less likely to find joy as a result of planned actions, than by new unexpected discoveries!
We tend to wrongly predict what will make us happy, therefore nourishing curiosity and remaining open to new experiences, will raise the chances of encountering surprising activities that can bring us joy.
“Curiosity increases perseverance or grit:
Merely describing a day when you felt curious has been shown to boost mental and physical energy by 20% more than recounting a time of profound happiness.
And curiosity propels us toward deeper engagement, superior performance, and more-meaningful goals…’” (1)
Connecting through diversity
As previously mentioned curiosity helps us feel more connected to each other, strengthening our capacity to embrace the value of diversity and celebrates individual strengths and points of view.
It helps us understand other’s inner realities and builds deeper connections.
It is not only about getting comfortable with embracing diversity or uncertainty, it is more about coming to the point when we actively seek it out because we value the growth and opportunities that come from it.
This is why Curiosity connects was created as a free event open to all ages, all genders, all nationalities and all backgrounds.
By exchanging ideas, questions, views, considering opposites and contrasting information we will be using curiosity as a radical force to improve the understanding of ourselves and others.
Curious? Come and join us!