TEDxSalford

5 Reasons To Cultivate Curiosity + 5 Easy Tips

You read the headline and now you crave for a bit more. Congratulations! You possess one of the finest innate abilities of the intelligent mind. It’s the natural curiosity that takes you to watch TED videos, read just one more page of a novel and solve a puzzle in a Sunday paper. It’s the core value whether you’re a creative professional, innovation leader or just looking for a new perspective on life.

Curiosity killed the cat? Nonsense.

It’s the saving trait that relieves us of boredom. It’s a trait that contributed to build the society as it stands today, a foundation for innovation and discovery, and a trait that oppressive states fear. You want to know how the story ends.

“Evolution made us the ultimate learning machines, and the ultimate learning machines need to be oiled by curiosity.” Tom Stafford in BBC Futures

Here are the 5 reasons why to cultivate curiosity:

1. It beats the boredom and keeps your mind engaged. Curious mind always has something to think about or do.
2. It makes life more exciting. Even dull routines are easier to bear when spiced with curiosity. Curious people find solutions to many problems more easily.
3. You will be more receptive to new ideas. Your mind becomes more observant as curiosity fuels the acquirement of new information.
4. It’s the fuel for self-development. Great innovators such as Einstein fostered curiosity and were not afraid to explore.
5. It helps you find new perspectives on life. You may notice yourself thinking differently about any given subject when you actively expose yourself to new information.

There are numerous ways to nurture curiosity. It’s important to be prepared to be wrong and question old assumptions. Be generally interested, read newspapers, take part in events and meet new people, to mention but a few ideas for arousing curiosity.

Here’s 5 practical ideas how to create some novel neural connections and shift those stuck in a rut:

1. Learn something new and interesting, check out these free online university courses
2. Start studying a language with a free language learning service Duolingo
3. Start a new hobby, maybe something you never even thought of. How about skateboarding?
4. Read a book on a topic that has always intrigued you but you haven’t yet explored
5. Visit a place you have never visited before

Do you have more tips on how to cultivate curiosity?