Curiously Uncurious

Incuriosity leaves us disconnected from reality

If you are uncurious, this post may not be for you. Or perhaps, on the contrary, it’s exactly what you need. Curiosity is often treated like a chemical reaction, either catalyzed or inert. But curiosity is more akin to a neural network: it strengthens with repeated activation, building connections that grow richer and more complex over time: it can be nurtured and exercised, or it can be left to wither. The implications of not nurturing this muscle are profound, as we'll explore through history, fiction, and modern science. I've had some scruples about even using the word “uncurious”, well, because when I first came across it, I did not even think it was a word, and also because it suggests a dull condition of the mind. Not something that appeals to me.  

The Cost of Being Uncurious

A curious discrepancy exists between how we perceive a lack of curiosity in others and how we rationalize our own moments of intellectual inertia. Whilst reading David Frum’s book, The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush, I stumbled over this sentence: "...he is impatient and quick to anger; sometimes glib, even dogmatic; often uncurious and as a result ill-informed." Frum worked closely with Bush as a speechwriter, even coining the term “Axis of Evil.” His assessment of Bush as “uncurious” struck me because it implies an active decision not to question. Lack of curiosity is not simply an intellectual gap, it can have serious, far-reaching consequences.

My hesitation in using the word "uncurious" stems from its connotations: narrowminded, neophobic, dismissive, reluctant to change, overwhelmed, neglectful, or even lacking in the desire for knowledge. These traits can define many leaders and public figures in history. Of course, this kind of incuriosity isn't confined to politics; it has been a recurring theme in literature. Fiction offers vivid examples of how a lack of curiosity can lead individuals, and entire societies, towards peril.

So, rather than diverting into the complexities of President Bush's mindset, what Borges might call 'The Garden of Forking Paths', becoming entangled in endless, sometimes bewildering decisions, let's instead focus on the broader implications of incuriosity and turn to some classic stories to understand how incuriosity shapes both individual and collective fates, sometimes with devastating consequences.

The Uncurios in literature

Fiction provides us with vivid examples of the dangers of incuriosity. In H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, we meet the Eloi, a future race of humans who live in a seemingly idyllic world, but whose incuriosity has rendered them vulnerable. They are passive, unengaged, and uninterested in the world around them. They do not question their surroundings or history, making them easy prey for the Morlocks, who literally feed on their ignorance. The Eloi’s lack of curiosity is not just a character flaw; it’s a fatal weakness. In Dan Simmons' Ilium novel, the author borrowed the name "Eloi" and many similarities from Wells, he depicts the Eloi as lazy, uneducated, and uncultured descendants of the human race.

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the populace has been conditioned from birth to remain incurious. They live their lives in pursuit of immediate pleasure, devoid of any critical thought or intellectual exploration. The lack of curiosity is engineered to maintain order and ensure that people do not question their roles or the world they live in. This systemic suppression of curiosity ensures that the ruling powers can operate without resistance. The citizens’ unexamined lives make them complacent, unable to imagine anything beyond their conditioned roles.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 presents another dire warning about the consequences of a society devoid of curiosity. In this world, books are burned, and critical thinking is discouraged. People are addicted to mindless entertainment, and any effort to question the status quo is met with disdain or fear. The majority of citizens are indifferent to their own intellectual starvation. They are not just uncurious, they are actively disinterested in anything that challenges the shallow comfort of their existence. This incuriosity leaves them disconnected from reality, unable to understand or engage with the complexities of their society.

In George Orwell’s 1984, incuriosity is a tool wielded by the ruling Party to maintain control. The citizens of Oceania are bombarded with propaganda, their history constantly rewritten to fit the Party’s narrative. Most people accept these changes without question. The Party relies on this incuriosity, this unquestioning acceptance, to keep power. It is not enough for citizens to comply; they must also be incapable of curiosity about an alternative reality. This enforced incuriosity prevents rebellion and keeps the populace docile.

In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault embodies a different kind of incuriosity, a personal, existential disinterest. He is indifferent to the world around him, uninterested in its deeper meanings or the feelings of others. His lack of curiosity isolates him, making him unable to connect meaningfully with society. In the end, it is this profound disconnection that leads to his downfall.

These stories share a common thread: incuriosity leads to vulnerability, exploitation, and ultimately, the loss of one’s humanity. The uncurious remain passive and pliable, while those who control information thrive. Fiction shows us that the price of being uncurious is steep, whether it's becoming prey, being controlled, or succumbing to a meaningless existence.

The Science of Curiosity: Why It Matters

Curiosity isn't just a philosophical ideal; it has tangible effects on our minds and lives. Modern cognitive science underscores the crucial role of curiosity in cognitive development, learning, and emotional well-being. Research has shown that curiosity stimulates the brain’s reward circuitry, releasing optimal dopamine and enhancing learning and memory consolidation. In other words, a curious mind is a brain that’s primed to grow.

One of the early pioneers of modern day psychology, William James, called curiosity:

‘‘…the impulse towards better cognition,’’

On the other side, lack of intellectual engagement has been linked to cognitive decline and even conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Just as the Eloi in The Time Machine become frail and dependent without curiosity, so too does the human mind wither when it’s not asking questions, being challenged and learning.

Another fine line is the difference between curiosity and mere risk-seeking. While curiosity is driven by the desire to learn and understand, risk-seeking often focuses on thrill without the pursuit of deeper insight.

Curiosity correlates with greater life satisfaction. Engaging with new ideas and experiences contributes to emotional richness and resilience. Furthermore, curiosity-driven individuals tend to achieve more, academically, professionally, and personally. Their intrinsic motivation leads them to dig deeper, ask why, and innovate.

Curiously Curious

I am concerened that we seem to educate curiousty out of young minds, my mother’s oft repeated phrase “curiosity killed the cat’” swirls in my mind, along with he mythical Pandora, who opened a box that unleashed misfortunes on the world.

On a societal level, the costs of incuriosity are profound. Societies that discourage questioning and intellectual exploration become stagnant and susceptible to authoritarian control. Incuriosity can lead to complacency, where individuals accept the status quo without question, allowing dangerous ideologies to flourish unchecked. In Fahrenheit 451, for instance, the populace's disinterest in questioning the book-burning policy allowed censorship to thrive, leading to a society devoid of meaningful discourse. In 1984, the enforced incuriosity prevented rebellion and kept the populace docile, highlighting how a lack of curiosity can be a tool for maintaining power.

How, then, do we nurture curiosity? There are four key approaches to consider, as I highlight in the table:

First, Ask Better Questions. Consider the example of Richard Feynman, whose story is detailed in his autobiography Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!. Feynman was renowned for breaking down complex problems by persistently asking foundational questions. His involvement in the Manhattan Project highlighted his refusal to accept things at face value, he would explore alternative solutions and constantly probe for a deeper understanding. His success shows how asking the right questions can lead to uncovering truths that others miss. Cultivating this habit of questioning, whether it’s about the world or one’s own beliefs, is essential to nurturing curiosity.

Next, Be Uncomfortable. Embracing discomfort is central to true curiosity. Marie Curie-Skłodowska is an excellent example of this. Faced with social and professional obstacles as a woman in science, she persisted in her work with radioactivity, even though it meant enduring dangerous conditions and skepticism from her peers. Her discoveries of polonium and radium are a testament to how enduring discomfort can lead to profound breakthroughs. And remember this is not risk-seeking!

Another approach is to Broaden Your Inputs. Intellectual curiosity thrives when you expand your horizons. Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist who ventured beyond his own field by collaborating with economists, serves as an inspiring model. This interdisciplinary work gave rise to behavioral economics, forever changing our understanding of human decision-making. His success demonstrates the value of intellectual diversity, of exploring areas beyond our usual scope.

Finally, Value the Process. Curiosity isn’t always about reaching a conclusion but about enjoying the exploration itself. Jane Goodall exemplified this with her patience and persistence in observing chimpanzees in their natural habitat. By valuing the process of long-term observation without rushing to conclusions, she was able to uncover complex social behaviors that transformed our understanding of primate behavior and our own humanity. She did not rush to conclusions, instead valuing the ongoing process of questioning and observing.

Pay attention

Now, let’s revisit the science of curiosity, focusing particularly on curiosity in the context of neuroscience. While using the four techniques above to improve and strengthen curiosity, it is essential to also consider that our attention is often stimulus-driven. We can easily lose focus due to stimuli around us, this is exactly how websites keep us engaged, using links and other attention-grabbing elements.

Thankfully, neuroscientists have shown that curiosity reflects an 'information gap.' In a fascinating study titled The Wick in the Candle of Learning: Epistemic Curiosity Activates Reward Circuitry and Enhances Memory, Kang and colleagues gave participants specific tasks while undergoing fMRI. The brain structures observed to be activated were those linked to the anticipation of various types of rewards. Interestingly, the nucleus accumbens, typically one of the most reliably activated structures for reward anticipation, was not activated. Instead, regions associated with learning and memory were activated, suggesting that the reward lies in the process of learning itself.

In the study, curiosity also drove activity in the midbrain (implying the involvement of dopaminergic regions) and in memory regions, specifically the hippocampus. These results led the authors to conclude that although curiosity reflects intrinsic motivation, it is mediated by the same mechanisms as extrinsically motivated rewards. Curiosity not only drives our attention but also provides a pleasurable reward through dopamine release.

Curiosity is a choice

On the whole we have superficial understanding of how simple everyday things function. Choosing to nurture curiosity means choosing to live deeply, to be open, engaged, and adaptable. It is what separates those who flourish from those who, like the Eloi, passively fade into irrelevance. The cost of incuriosity is too high; nurturing curiosity keeps us from becoming victims of a world we no longer understand.

Curiosity is thought of as the noblest of human drives, so let’s spread the word about curiosity and discourage what Frum defined as, “uncurious and as a result ill-informed”? The difference might just be everything.

Stay curious

Dr Colin W.P. Lewis

Image prompted with ideogram – Four methods to boost curiosity.