Why Being Curious Matters
What I read: 4 Reasons Why Curiosity Is Important and How to Develop It by Donald Latumahina. Published January 27, 2022.
On my drive from Palm Springs to San Francisco last night I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Solo, hosted by Peter McGraw. The episode I was listening to was Intellectual Humility.
McGraw interviewed Dr. Jeff Larsen, a Social Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
During the discussion McGraw and Larsen were talking about why so many people believe what they believe even when presented with facts or ideas to the contrary and how fostering intellectual humility can help us all.
Listen to the podcast. It’s excellent. While the podcast was playing I paused the playback for a while and pondered curiosity.
For some reason the discussion about intellectual humility led me to envision curiosity as a core character trait that benefits just about everything in our lives. The more I thought about it, the more it dawned on me that being curious can lead to better outcomes for just about everything. It’s a core mindset that can benefit everyone.
I poked around and found the article to which I linked above. Donald Latumahina lists four reasons why curiosity is important.
1. It makes your mind active instead of passive.
2. It makes your mind observant of new ideas.
3. It opens up new worlds and possibilities.
4. It brings excitement into your life.
Living a life of being curious does all of that and more.
Notice I worded the title of this post “being” curious. Being is active. Curiosity is a noun. If I said to honor curiosity or encourage curiosity is doesn’t have the same actionable punch for me that being curious does. We must remain active in our curiosity.
Why do I think curiosity is at the core of better outcomes in all realms of life?
Want to be a better manager or team leader at work? Be constantly curious about those with whom you work. What are they like as people? How do they work best? What life situations are present for them for which you can create a better work environment so they do their best work and are retained? What ideas do they have to improve the team’s functioning?
Want to have better relationships? Ask your friends, partners, even casual acquaintances about themselves and their lives. What makes them happy? What excites them? What hobbies or intellectual pursuits are they passionate about? What are their thoughts on the hot social topics of the day? With what are they struggling?
Want to be better educated and maintain relevant skills? Read lots of good books. Watch informational and tutorial videos. Take classes. Buy lunch for someone who knows more about a subject than you do and learn from them. Ask if you can have 15 minutes of someone’s time in their office to ask them about their profession. Go to a museum. Learn new skills that can be used in your personal or professional life.
Want to be a better citizen? Investigate the issues and candidates. Seek out balanced perspectives on ballot choices. Inquire how you can help a cause such as climate change or ensuring the right to choose. Ask questions of your friends and family to prompt intelligent discussion about politics and do so with a truly curious approach without trying to just state your side.
I could go on. The point is that improving everything in our personal and professional lives as well as improving the lives of others is directly tied to our curiosity. Remain constantly curious and keep your mind as open as possible. We all believe things that will likely someday be proven false or inaccurate. This is the intellectual humility that McGraw and Larsen are talking about.
Latumahina offers a few tips to help you develop curiosity.
1. Keep an open mind.
2. Don’t take things as granted.
3. Ask questions relentlessly.
4. Don’t label something as boring.
5. See learning as something fun.
6. Read diverse kinds of reading.
So often I find myself ready to say something to someone I’m with that’s really nothing more than me wanting to jump in with my take when I’d be better served asking questions, being curious. Why is that the best way to do that business process? Why do you support a candidate or issue? Based on your experience, how would you suggest I learn more about that topic? I struggle with the same challenges you do. How do you address it?
The ways in which we can be curious are endless. The important thing is to remember to lead with curiosity, be actively curious. It will improve everything in your life.
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