7 Ways Curiosity Makes You Healthy, Wealthy & Wise
Curious people ask a lot of questions (just ask anyone who’s been around a toddler). We don’t just want to know why – we also want to know how, what, when and who. We’re also curious about more than one thing at a time. Some people would say this leads to chasing multiple rabbits and catching none, curiosity benefits us personally, professionally and even globally. Here are the top ten ways being curious brings health, wealth and wisdom:
Curiosity Sparks Innovation
Curious people look at things differently. They are not usually satisfied with what is and instead ask questions like “how can I make this better” or “what would happen if we…” These types of questions can lead to creative solutions to real problems. When you don’t accept the status quo, you come up with inventions like electricity, telephones and penicillin. We have these things because Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Dr. Alexander Fleming were curious about the world around them.
“I have no expertise or special talents, I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
Great Leaders are Curious
In addition to being innovative, curious people also tend to gather good teams and lead them well. Why? Because they are curious about their team members. They are genuinely interested in how their team members are doing. Team members who feel heard and understood are more likely to bring their best to the table. Curious leaders also foster curiosity in others which can increase engagement and job satisfaction.
Experts are Curious
Do you want to become a recognized expert in your field? Be curious. When you ask the right questions, you are going to learn the answers. Ask yourself what you need to know to become an expert and figure out how to find the answers. Keep asking questions and digging deeper, and you become the person everyone else comes to for the answers. And if you don’t know the answer, chances are you know where to find it and you get the opportunity keep learning.
Social Curiosity
“Be curious, not judgmental” – Walt Whitman
Curiosity Strengthens Relationships
The same feeling of being heard and understood improves personal relationships too. Curious people don’t just ask the questions, they listen to the answers. This fosters intimacy, connection and trust. This isn’t to suggest you interrogate your partner at the dinner table, but when you are genuinely curious about another person, you show that you care about them. This works with kids too. Sometimes parents assume kids feel a certain way or aren’t affected in the same way as adults. But when you ask questions, you may just discover that your assumptions don’t hold up. Kids like to feel heard too, even when they’re teenagers who only give one-word answers. You’ve probably heard this before, but kids (even teenagers) are listening. And like all people, when you’re curious about how they experience the world, you show kids that you care and value that experience.
Curiosity Fosters Compassion
Walt Whitman had it right. When you are curious, it is nearly impossible to be judgmental. This is not to say it is always easy, but I try to practice curiosity over judgmentalism as often as I can. Instead of asking “what’s wrong with you?” when someone lashes out at us, we can ask “What happened to you?” I’d wager that more often that out, this angry person has had a recent experience that was challenging. I’m not saying we have permission to take our anger and frustration out on each other, just that we can perhaps hold space for that person to process their experience without judgment. It may be just what the person needs to turn their day around. This goes for ourselves too. Instead of beating ourselves up for mistakes, we can ask I wonder what happened there? How could I have done that better? This keeps us in the realm of self-compassion out of the reach of our inner critic.
Curiosity is Good For Your Health
Curious Doctors Provide Better Treatment
All that questioning and listening helps doctors be more in tune with their patients and patients reciprocate by sharing more information with doctors. This promotes better patient outcomes as the care team has a fuller understanding of the patient experience. From the patient’s perspective, we are more likely to seek medical care when we know there is going to be a sympathetic ear on the other side of the exam room table.
Curiosity Can Even Save Your Life
Like many of us, alcohol was a big part of Annie Grace’s workplace functions. From conferences to holiday parties, the wine and beer flowed freely. When she decided to break up with alcohol, she got curious. She went into research mode and learned everything she could about the way alcohol affects our minds and bodies. After a few months and with a firm research-based knowledge of just how bad alcohol is for us, she not only quit drinking but wrote a best-selling book about her experience. In This Naked Mind, Annie shares her story and her knowledge and encourages all of us to get curious about the things we have been conditioned to accept as true about alcohol. Without her curiosity to drive her, her life might have taken a very different path.
Spark Your Curiosity
If you don’t consider yourself a curious person, but you’d like to become one, what can you do? I suggest taking a look at the things that interested you when you were younger. Kids have a natural curiosity and I am sure you did too. Let your mind wander freely for awhile. What comes up?
Try to notice when something strikes you as interesting. Follow that interest and think what more you’d like to know.
Perhaps the best way to get curious is to ask someone about themselves — and listen to the answers. Having a conversation with someone in real time, in person, is a great way to learn new things and deepen a relationship at the same time.
Other Resources About Curiosity
7 Innovations that Are Crucial to Living in Today’s Society
The Role of Curiosity in Innovation