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Adults need curiosity more than children.

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Editor’s note: Curiosity and happiness are mutually reinforcing. When you explore new things because of curiosity, you will forget troubles and anxieties, and when you are happy, you will be more curious about new things. An adult with curiosity will be more focused and engaged when faced with the uncertainty caused by new things. In the face of difficulties, curious people will not be easily defeated, and they will show better adaptability or “perseverance” when exploring new concepts or scenarios. Adults need to remain curious when facing a complex world. This article is translated from Medium, the original title is “Curiosity Is the Secret to a Happy Life”, I hope to inspire you.

People who have been in contact with children know that their heads are full of curiosity. Children ask more questions in 10 minutes than adults in 10 days. The child is the embodiment of curiosity.

But as we grow older, the source of curiosity will slowly dry up. The study found that people’s openness to new experiences and emotions continued to decline with age, and at the same time, the degree of indifference gradually increased.

Mental health researchers have realized this decline in age-related curiosity many years ago. They also noted that high levels of curiosity are often associated with different standards for measuring mental health and vitality. A paper published in the Review of Neuroscience and Biological Behavior in 2018 found that maintaining curiosity in old age helps prevent cognitive decline and physical function decline. Compared with those who are not curious, the curious elderly perform better in memory and general cognitive function tests. The author of the paper points out that curiosity activates areas of the brain that are involved in other advanced cognitive processes. Over time, this enhanced activation may help explain some of the benefits of curiosity for the brain.

In addition, the study also found that whether young or old, high levels of sustained curiosity are related to mental health and life satisfaction. Curious people also don’t seem to be depressed easily.

As scientists investigate curiosity As they went deeper, they also found more and more evidence that curiosity is the secret of a happy and fulfilling life. Todd Kashdan, author of the book “Curiosity” and professor of psychology at George Mason University, said: “Imagine the most basic things everyone wants to have in life-strong social relationships, Happiness and sense of accomplishment-you will find these are highly related to curiosity. “

Curious what does it mean? Kashdan said: “According to the classic definition in the dictionary, curiosity is the desire to explore new knowledge and new experiences.” This definition is a starting point. He said curiosity also includes willingness to participate in complex, unknown and challenging Concept or effort.

Kashdan helped develop two widely used scientific models for measuring curiosity. The latest model breaks curiosity into five different categories, or “dimensions”. He called the first dimension “happy exploration”, which is very similar to the definition of curiosity in the dictionary. Second, the three-dimensionality is related to people’s concentration and input when facing the uncertainty brought by new things. “When you explore new areas”-such as fitness classes you have never attended or dinner with new friends-“you are likely to feel stressed and anxious,” he said, although these states are often considered to be Negative, but curious people will not be easily defeated by these. In other words, they will show adaptability or “perseverance” when exploring new concepts or scenarios.

As scientists study curiosity more and more deeply, they also find more and more evidence that curiosity is the secret of happiness and a fulfilling life.

He explained: “The fourth dimension is seeking stimulus, that is, willingness to take risks of money, society, or individuals in pursuit of new experiences.” The form of seeking stimuli can be extreme sports, experimental psychedelics, or entrepreneurship. The fifth and final dimension is “social curiosity”, that is, interest in the views and opinions of others.

In these five dimensions of curiosity, some or all of the scores are very high, almost beyond the question of happiness or satisfaction. Kashdan said: “When you are immersed in exploring new things and getting interesting experiences from them, you will not stop and ask yourself if you are happy or depressed.”

That is to say, there is some evidence that the relationship between curiosity and happiness is two-way, and they complement each other. A study published in Personality Magazine in 2019 found that when people experience positive emotions like happiness, they showBe more curious than when you are unhappy. Such findings have prompted some researchers to make relevant assumptions that the existence of positive emotions may to some extent help to stimulate curiosity and the fruitful exploration that follows.

“There is a theory of“ expansion and construction ”that positive emotions have many effects, one of which is to encourage us to participate in things that we would not normally do,” the study ’s first author, University of Pennsylvania Bio David Lydon-Staley, a postdoctoral fellow in the engineering department, said that curiosity can bring new relationships, new skills or new fields of knowledge and enrich a person’s life on many levels.

But is there any way to stimulate a person ’s curiosity? Leiden-Stelly’s research found that sports seemed to stimulate curiosity. Exercise may stimulate curiosity by improving one’s mood. (The effect of sports on improving mood has been confirmed.)

Kashdan said that strong interpersonal relationships also seem to stimulate curiosity. “Having a stable relationship is like having a stronghold in a tag game, which gives people less restraint and more freedom to explore. “

However, the most effective way to stimulate curiosity is to meet strangers, explore new places, and accept new ideas. Kashdan said he was disgusted by unfamiliar things-“premature autism” in his mouth-would kill curiosity. But novelty, even if it starts with discomfort or fear, can act as a fertilizer for curiosity. “The more new experiences or knowledge you have, the more you realize that you have too little control, which makes further exploration more attractive,” he said. At the same time, exposure to new things often exhausts its ability to bring anxiety. “The greatest degree of anxiety you can feel is always when looking forward to new things. Hold on, you will find that the anxiety is controllable and can even be pleasant.”

It may be safe to face familiar things, but curiosity and novel experiences that nurture curiosity will lead you to a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

Translator: Jane

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