Curiosity—a most valuable commodity!
June 12, 2019 at 11:13 p.m.
By -
There is, however, new research indicating that inquisitive people provide a wide range of benefits to employers. For one, curious employees make fewer decision making errors. They are less apt to employ confirmation bias (looking for information that supports their belief rather than for evidence suggesting they are wrong) and to stereotyping people (making broad judgments). Curious people view tough situations more creatively. Studies have found that curiosity is associated with less defensive reactions to stress and less aggressive reactions to provocation. Overall, natural curiosity is associated with better job performance. Inquisitive employees make more constructive suggestions for implementing solutions to problems that occur in the workplace. It behooves companies to cultivate curiosity at all levels and treasure inquisitive minds. When triggered by design, employees think more deeply and rationally.
Curiosity may also be part of the answer to a more fulfilling life. According to a recent book by Todd Kasdan about curiosity--- it is the central ingredient. He claims that curiosity is nothing more than what we feel when struck by something novel. It draws our attention to things that are interesting and plays a critical role in the pursuit of a meaningful life. Being curious is about how we relate to our thoughts and feelings. It is not about whether we pay attention but how we pay attention to what is happening in the present. Only in the present can we be liberated to do whatever it is that we want and is a razor-thin moment when we are truly free. When we are curious we exploit these moments by being there, sensitive to what is happening regardless of how it diverges from what it looked like before and what we expect it to be in the future. There is a strong correlation between curiosity and mindfulness.
Cultivating curiosity
Most children are naturally curious, even to the point of endangering themselves. Curiosity is unique to human beings, begins almost at birth but frequently lost as we grow older. According to Ian Leslie in his book about curiosity, the challenge is to find ways of making us continually hungry to learn, question and create. One way is to pique a person’s interest in some topic. Parents are presented with the opportunity many times each day. Once curiosity is stimulated, there is increased activity in the brain circuits related to reward which enables the brain to enhance learning and retain information.
Edutopia, an educational website, suggests a number of ways to stimulate a student’s inquisitiveness, (1) value and reward curiosity, (2) teach students how to ask quality questions, (3) teach skepticism by asking students to ask “why” more often, and to ask for additional evidence before accepting someone’s claims as being true, (4) encourage students to tinker, (5) create opportunities for more curious and less curious students to work together in project based learning, (6) encourage students to investigate their genetic or emotional links to other cultures, and (7) most important, help parents understand the importance of curiosity in the child’s development and suggest ways to foster it at home.
Final thoughts
The truly curious will be increasingly in demand. Employers are looking for people who do more than simply follow procedures competently or respond to requests. We can all learn from Albert Einstein who said that he had no special talents other than being passionately curious. Fortunately, in a free society, no one can stop us from learning. There is no limit on the pursuit of knowledge.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
There is, however, new research indicating that inquisitive people provide a wide range of benefits to employers. For one, curious employees make fewer decision making errors. They are less apt to employ confirmation bias (looking for information that supports their belief rather than for evidence suggesting they are wrong) and to stereotyping people (making broad judgments). Curious people view tough situations more creatively. Studies have found that curiosity is associated with less defensive reactions to stress and less aggressive reactions to provocation. Overall, natural curiosity is associated with better job performance. Inquisitive employees make more constructive suggestions for implementing solutions to problems that occur in the workplace. It behooves companies to cultivate curiosity at all levels and treasure inquisitive minds. When triggered by design, employees think more deeply and rationally.
Curiosity may also be part of the answer to a more fulfilling life. According to a recent book by Todd Kasdan about curiosity--- it is the central ingredient. He claims that curiosity is nothing more than what we feel when struck by something novel. It draws our attention to things that are interesting and plays a critical role in the pursuit of a meaningful life. Being curious is about how we relate to our thoughts and feelings. It is not about whether we pay attention but how we pay attention to what is happening in the present. Only in the present can we be liberated to do whatever it is that we want and is a razor-thin moment when we are truly free. When we are curious we exploit these moments by being there, sensitive to what is happening regardless of how it diverges from what it looked like before and what we expect it to be in the future. There is a strong correlation between curiosity and mindfulness.
Cultivating curiosity
Most children are naturally curious, even to the point of endangering themselves. Curiosity is unique to human beings, begins almost at birth but frequently lost as we grow older. According to Ian Leslie in his book about curiosity, the challenge is to find ways of making us continually hungry to learn, question and create. One way is to pique a person’s interest in some topic. Parents are presented with the opportunity many times each day. Once curiosity is stimulated, there is increased activity in the brain circuits related to reward which enables the brain to enhance learning and retain information.
Edutopia, an educational website, suggests a number of ways to stimulate a student’s inquisitiveness, (1) value and reward curiosity, (2) teach students how to ask quality questions, (3) teach skepticism by asking students to ask “why” more often, and to ask for additional evidence before accepting someone’s claims as being true, (4) encourage students to tinker, (5) create opportunities for more curious and less curious students to work together in project based learning, (6) encourage students to investigate their genetic or emotional links to other cultures, and (7) most important, help parents understand the importance of curiosity in the child’s development and suggest ways to foster it at home.
Final thoughts
The truly curious will be increasingly in demand. Employers are looking for people who do more than simply follow procedures competently or respond to requests. We can all learn from Albert Einstein who said that he had no special talents other than being passionately curious. Fortunately, in a free society, no one can stop us from learning. There is no limit on the pursuit of knowledge.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092