5 Reasons You Should Seek To Become More Curious

Curiosity improves us. It is what will help set you apart. Today, and in the future.

I am a big believer that curiosity has the power to change your life.

I have been interested in software development for 10 years, and in that time I have grown as a person, gained experience and cultivated my curiosity. Being curious has also helped me find my community of people, make new friends, and improve myself in ways I otherwise never would have.

Curiosity is not a fixed attribute - it can be developed. I recommend everyone start cultivating their curiosity.

And I have 5 specific reasons why:

• Curiosity can drive continuous learning

• The world constantly bombards us

• Curiosity can be uniquely human

• The rewards of curiosity have never been higher

• Curiosity is rebellious

Curiosity can drive continuous learning

Children are intensely curious. Yet as we grow older we tend to lose this sense of curiosity. Things become mundane. We start to understand more about the world.

But we must not let this happen. If we fight the fear of new and unknown things, we open ourselves to continuous learning. Consider two branches of curiosity - intellectual and diversive.

Diversive curiosity fuels our need for novelty. This branch is constantly under load in the modern world. Just one swipe, and you are onto the next dopamine hit. If we learn to harness it correctly, we have a powerful motivator to learn new things.

The other branch we must learn to nurture is our intellectual curiosity. This is the desire for information, to comprehend. It is a driving force to ensure we continue to learn deeply, challenge ourselves and evolve.

As humans we need to learn to differentiate. What is driving your interest in something? A desire for novelty, or the desire to comprehend? I failed to differentiate, and spent years feeling diverted from my purpose.

To grow over a long time frame, we must learn to focus on comprehension rather than new things.

The world constantly bombards us

There is an endless amount of things to learn and discover. As humans we are inundated with new concepts and technologies. We no longer choose to participate. The default is to be plugged in, and opting out is on you.

We need a framework and a willingness to deal with the barrage. We need to be indomitable. The world changes at such a rapid pace that we constantly have to reinvent ourselves and our processes. It takes a certain individual to cope. A curious individual.

At my job, I had to start on new projects every 6 months. Each time it felt like I started a new job. You can learn to be prepared for scenarios like this.

Being able to follow your curiosity and not be overwhelmed sets you up to stand out.

Curiosity can be uniquely human

Animals do not get curious in the same way as us. They don’t share stories or knowledge like us. Monkeys do not reflect on their history. Birds does not share ideas. Computers and AI, so far at least, also do not encroach on this quality.

We are privileged.

We have access to a deep well of knowledge, and the incredible ease of access that is the internet. The memory of our species is at our fingertips - for any topic you can think of. It’s the driving force of human development.

It’d be foolish not to take advantage of it.

The rewards of curiosity have never been higher

The education system is focused on preparing students for specific jobs. We focus on the goals of learning, rather than valuing the learning itself. Teaching a person to be a software developer, lawyer or doctor is not the same as teaching them to be a curious learner.

Yet the best ones are.

Because of this, the truly curious learners reap the rewards like status and money. Many people think ending their education puts learning behind them. In reality it’s just the beginning. Real curiosity requires effort, and it will make you stand out.

As the access to the deep well of knowledge of our species only gets more prevalent, the difference between the incurious individual and the curious gets bigger.

You should be on the right side of that divide.

Curiosity is rebellious

Old stories about curiosity are warnings. Icarus flying too close to the sun, Pandora opening the box releasing the evils of humanity. There is a reason for this. As Vladimir Nabokov said:

Curiosity is insubordination in its purest form.

Curiosity is rebellious. It questions the rules and approved paths. Are we sure there isn’t a better way of doing this? Are we sure this is the right tool? Do we really need to do that?

Curiosity brings into question both our processes and preferences. Recklessly pursuing it is likely to lead you on a path toward conflict, but not pursuing it abandons improvement. You should strive to constantly improve.

I used to lack a spine. I did not stand up for myself. I now believe I lacked the curiosity to want to stand up for myself.

Curiosity makes us feel fulfilled. It makes us feel alive.

If you want to cultivate your curiosity, let me know—I'd love to connect with you (and answer any questions you might have!).