The Overlooked Power of Curiosity

We all have them. Those things that stir up passion, excitement—intense interest. It could be a book series from a favorite author. It could be a favorite musician. It could be cooking, woodworking or drawing.

Pick your subject. Odd animals: “The way pangolins walk cracks me up! Did you know the babies ride on their moms’ tails?” Cars: “The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS is the best sportscar ever…” Hair: “How did you style it like that? I’d like to try it myself.”

When you encounter something new in a pet area of interest, you devour the information with vim and vigor.

It is effortless to be absorbed by things that naturally excite us. Digging deeper into these topics makes us happy, can relieve stress, and give us more in common with friends.

Yet those same feelings and benefits do not have to stop there. You can build upon your intrinsic curiosity—make it part of your character—to make you more interesting, a better companion, more successful, and a more effective person overall.

Inquisitiveness is built into us. Scientists have found that when we encounter something new, our bodies release the pleasure hormone dopamine—which plays a key part in motivation and the desire to learn. God designed us to seek out new ideas and activities. To turn over rocks and see the creepy crawlies underneath. To read books that transport us to different times and lands.

Yet modern society often squashes curiosity. Think of children around the age of 4—they are bursting with questions. Yet researchers note that this begins to change when kids start attending school.

Educator and innovation coach Hal Gregersen started the 4-24 Project that promotes asking the right questions so that schools, businesses and people can find solutions to their biggest problems.

In a Big Think interview, he cited data that shows questions decline when students begin to be evaluated through grades—A, B, C, 90 percent, 80 percent, etc.

One reason for this is an emphasis on memorizing facts to be tested on later. Regurgitating the right answer becomes more important than creativity and self-motivated study.

Mr. Gregersen stated that by the time students reach high school they ask just one question of substance in class per month. One.

This does not mean grades or school systems are inherently bad. But you will have to work a little harder to ensure your natural curiosity does not disappear as you enter adulthood.

Count the Stairs

Curiosity can be seen as a series of smaller habits that make up a bigger character trait. If you consciously work at the smaller parts, inquisitiveness will soon become part of who you are. You will do it all without thinking.

A passage from a Sherlock Holmes detective story helps drive this point home. John Watson, the famous fictional detective’s assistant, noted how amazing it was that Holmes could solve crimes from small, seemingly insignificant clues.

“When I hear you give your reasons,” Watson remarked, “the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning, I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.”

“Quite so,” Holmes answered and throwing himself down into an armchair. “You see, but you do not observe.”

“The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.”

“Frequently.”

“How often?”

“Well, some hundreds of times.”

“Then how many are there?”

“How many? I don’t know.”

“Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are 17 steps, because I have both seen and observed.”

Test yourself. Think of a staircase you use regularly, perhaps at school or at home. How many steps are on it? Likely, you do not know either.

Do not misunderstand the lesson here. It is not necessary for you to count steps to be a more curious person. However, realize that the human mind can use something over and over again—see it—without really ever observing it. This is a tendency you will have to break.

While Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, we can still learn from his example. He made observing a way of life, so much so that it was as natural as breathing.

Make a point to notice what is going on around you. Note changes like when someone gets a haircut or new glasses. Pay attention to nature such as when a pair of crows is harassing a squirrel in your backyard. Look up and around you. Mentally note your friends’ quirks and idiosyncrasies—not to make fun of them, but so you can know them more deeply.

Observing everything is the first step to deeper curiosity. If you do not notice something, there is no way you can ask questions about it or decide to dive into a topic further.

Jesus and Solomon

It should come as no surprise that people-watching, observing nature, and simply paying attention are seen in the Bible.

In the Old Testament, the wise King Solomon explained a lesson he learned from observing others: “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down” (Prov. 24:30-31).

Solomon was presumably out walking when he saw an unkempt field and wall. Yet he did not just say, “What a mess!” and move on. Rather, he learned from it.

Notice the next verse: “Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction” (vs. 32).

The king noted the details of the thorns, nettles and crumbling stone wall. He was able to learn valuable lessons from it.

Jesus Christ also watched the actions of others.

Mark 12:41-42 states: “Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a [penny].”

Jesus was sitting and people-watching. Of course, He was not oddly staring at others—otherwise He would have been noticed. Instead, He used discretion. You can do the same thing when you are in public places.

When Jesus saw what the widow had done, He used it as a teaching opportunity for His disciples. He stated: “Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (vs. 43-44).

Solomon and Jesus Christ did not just practice observation on people—but with everything in life.

The natural world is rich with interesting things to observe and glean lessons.

King Solomon did this all the time. I Kings 4:33 shows that he had a deep understanding of trees, animals, birds, insects and fish. The book of Proverbs, which Solomon wrote, is full of lessons from Creation in all its forms.

Unlike how we can use Google to instantly get information, Solomon would have had to go out and study all these things to acquire knowledge. The proverb “go to the ant you sluggard” is a good example.

Imagine the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live on his hands and knees observing the behavior of ants. It is a silly image. Yet his wide-ranging and insatiable curiosity meant that many of his writings were preserved for all time in the Bible!

Why?!

You cannot stop with just observing. The next habit to build is asking questions—good, deep, thought-provoking ones.

The modern age makes it easy to go on autopilot. We rarely have to build anything. If something breaks we have an expert fix it or simply get a new one. The internet is there to immediately answer any question we have, with precious little required from us.

This means we have to put in more effort to make sure we are exercising our question-making muscles.

The best question is just a single word: Why?

If you have a younger sibling or babysat for a toddler, you have likely encountered this question a bazillion times: Why is the sky blue? Why do I have to go to sleep? Why is your hair red?

Young children are “why-asking” machines. It can get to the point that you just want them to stop. Often, that is what happens.

Yet asking why can provide a nitro boost for your curiosity. Some examples:

• Why do I wash the dishes like this? Is there a more efficient way?
• Why do I keep missing shots when playing basketball? What is holding me back?
• Why is there green stuff growing on the bark of that tree? Is it normal or a sign of disease?
• Why is my dog afraid of the vacuum cleaner?

Not every good question starts with why, however. You could ask about the origin of a word, how a toaster oven works, or what city a famous author grew up in.

Once you ask these questions—push yourself to ask a lot of them—set out to find the answers

Don’t Slam the Door

While the modern age does handicap our curiosity in some ways, it also means we have access to more information than ever before. There is no reason for us not to set out to find answers to questions both big and small. Some will require one internet search and others will take years to fully understand.

But be a curiosity omnivore! Do not limit yourself to the subjects where you have a natural and immediate interest. Rather, read and learn as widely as possible. Doing so will introduce you to new worlds of knowledge. It will mean you are better able to put yourself in others’ shoes and empathize with them.

Apply curiosity to your conversations. Ask questions of friends new and old. Find out what makes them tick. Genuine and consistent interest in others is a surefire way to strengthen your companionship.

Being inquisitive will also help you make more friends. Having a wide and varied base of knowledge will make you more interesting and able to relate to more people.

A diversity of knowledge will also help you be more successful. You will be able to make creative, outside-of-the-box connections and find solutions that others may have missed. This will help you be a better student and will ultimately help you be a more valuable employee.

Realize that answers to your questions will often not be immediate. They will take some work. Instead of giving up, try to look at things from another angle. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a break and come back later with fresh eyes. Or talk it through with someone else. Hashing something out verbally often helps you have a breakthrough.

One more habit to build: Make yourself see all learning as fun. When you are presented with something new, never immediately label it as boring. Rather see it as a door of possibilities. Often, research you do now will be helpful years down the road.

If you do not have time to dig into a topic, do not slam the door shut. Leave it open and come back to it later.

Strive to observe everything in your life, ask good questions, and enjoy finding out the answers. The more you do this, the more you will tap into the incredible power of curiosity.