Next thing I know, he is shaking my hand and firing off a pile of questions at me, about what I do. I didn't get time to ask him anything because he wanted to know all about me and what I do as an author, as an entrepreneur, as a speaker and who I flew with.
At the end of this whirlwind conversation which ended as quickly as it started, and as he was being whisked away by his minders, he looked me in the eye and said "sorry to ask so many questions it's just that I'm curious about everything and everyone. He was genuinely curious about everything and everyone and this state of mind creates an incredible awareness on every level. What resonated the most with my "Branson Encounter" was the fact that I'm exactly the same.
I'm deeply curious about everything and everyone and the more I can learn about anything, the happier I am. So what's the big deal? I think this is a very big deal, especially when we live in a world that is perhaps a little "ME" centric. We have such an incredible amount of information available at our fingertips, but it's only of value if we choose to use it.
Being curious is a skill. I'm pretty certain that when I was 15 I was focused on myself and the calamities and unfairness of my world. But as I grew older, I was surrounded by people who were curious about life and our conversations were thought provoking to say the least.
I started to work with entrepreneurs and business owners from a young age, and these people's curiosity manifested with solutions for certain problems and opportunities that their curiosity identified.
Happiness 5. What do you want most in life? Happiness is a good thing. Have these new opportunities allowed us to spend more time doing what we care about most, thus increasing our satisfaction and meaning in life?
For most of us, the answer is no. The majority of Americans spend less than 20 percent of each day doing what could be termed very engaging, enjoyable and meaningful activities such as talking with close friends, bonding with loved ones , creating, playing, or pursuing a spiritual practice.
One of the most reliable and overlooked keys to happiness is cultivating and exercising our innate sense of curiosity. Curiosity is something that can be nurtured and developed. With practice, we can harness the power of curiosity to transform everyday tasks into interesting and enjoyable experiences.
We can also use curiosity to intentionally create wonder, intrigue and play out of almost any situation or interaction we encounter. Curiosity, at its core, is all about noticing and being drawn to things we find interesting. When we are curious, we see things differently; we use our powers of observation more fully. We sense what is happening in the present moment, taking note of what is, regardless of what it looked like before or what we might have expected it to be.
We feel alive and engaged, more capable of embracing opportunities, making connections, and experiencing moments of insight and meaning — all of which provide the foundation for a rich, aware and satisfying life experience.
Here are five of the important ways that curiosity enhances our well-being and the quality of our lives:. In a study published in Psychology and Aging , more than 1, older adults aged 60 to 86 were carefully observed over a five-year period, and researchers found that those who were rated as being more curious at the beginning of the study were more likely to be alive at its conclusion, even after taking into account age, whether they smoked, the presence of cancer or cardiovascular disease, and so on.
It is possible that declining curiosity is an initial sign of neurological illness and declining health. Nonetheless, there are promising signs that enhancing curiosity reduces the risk for these diseases and may even reverse some of the natural degeneration that occurs in older adults.
A report in the journal Health Psychology described a two-year study involving more than 1, patients that found higher levels of curiosity were also associated with a decreased likelihood of developing hypertension and diabetes. While correlation does not imply causation, these relationships suggest that curiosity may have a variety of positive connections with health that deserve further study.
Studies have shown that curiosity positively correlates with intelligence. In one study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in , researchers correctly predicted that high novelty-seeking or highly curious toddlers would have higher IQs as older children than toddlers with lower levels of curiosity. Researchers measured the degree of novelty-seeking behavior in 1, 3-year-olds and then measured their cognitive ability at age As predicted, the year-olds who had been highly curious 3-year-olds later scored 12 points higher on total IQ compared with low stimulation seekers.
They also had superior scholastic and reading ability. Other studies have shown that high levels of curiosity in adults are connected to greater analytic ability, problem-solving skills and overall intelligence. All of which suggests that cultivating more curiosity in your daily life is likely to make you smarter.
It is far easier to form and maintain satisfying, significant relationships when you demonstrate an attitude of openness and genuine interest. This often sparks resentment, hostility, communication breakdowns and a lack of interest in spending time together only adding to the initial problem.
Curious people report more satisfying relationships and marriages. Happy couples describe their partners as interested and responsive. Curious people are inclined to act in ways that allow relationships to develop more easily. We also interviewed their closest friends and parents to gain added insight into the qualities that curious people bring to relationships.
Each of these groups — acquaintances of a mere five minutes, close friends and parents — characterized curious people as highly enthusiastic and energetic, talkative, interesting in what they say and do, displaying a wide range of interests, confident, humorous, less likely to express insecurities, and lacking in timidity and anxiety compared with less curious people. Curious people ask questions and take an interest in learning about partners, and they intentionally try to keep interactions interesting engaging and playful.
This approach supports the development of good relationships. Both factors are supported by curiosity. In fact, in one of the largest undertakings in the field of psychology, two pioneers in the field of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, PhD, and Chris Peterson, PhD, devised a scientific classification of the basic human strengths. This system was the end result of reading the works of ancient philosophers, religious texts and contemporary literature, then identifying patterns, and finally subjecting these ideas to rigorous scientific tests.
Their research eventually recognized 24 basic strengths. And, of those 24 strengths that human beings can possess, curiosity was one of the five most highly associated with overall life fulfillment and happiness. There are other important relationships between curiosity and happiness. In his book Stumbling on Happiness , Harvard University psychology professor Daniel Gilbert, PhD, shows that, while we think we know what will make us happy in the future, we are actually less likely to find joy as a result of a planned pursuit than by simply stumbling upon it.
Curious people are happier. Research has shown curiosity to be associated with higher levels of positive emotions, lower levels of anxiety, more satisfaction with life, and greater psychological well-being.
Of course, it may be, at least partially, that people who are already happier tend to be more curious, but since novelty makes us feel good see above , it seems likely that it goes the other direction as well.
Curiosity boosts achievement. Studies reveal that curiosity leads to more enjoyment and participation in school and higher academic achievement , as well as greater learning, engagement, and performance at work. Curiosity can expand our empathy. When we are curious about others and talk to people outside our usual social circle, we become better able to understand those with lives, experiences, and worldviews different than our own.
Next time you have the chance to talk with a stranger, especially someone who may be quite dissimilar to you, try engaging with them on a personal level respectfully, of course and showing them that you are interested in what they have to say. Curiosity helps strengthen relationships.
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