Curiosity is a fundamental human characteristic that drives us to explore and comprehend our surroundings. It is the spark that piques our interest in learning, discovering, and creating. That is how the book “Why: What Makes Us Curious” by Dr. Mario Livio was born.

Dr. Mario shared what inspired him to write and research curiosity. “I am a very curious person, and at some point, I became curious about curiosity itself. While doing the research for the book 'WHY?' I was surprised by the fact that not very many researchers are studying curiosity.” It seems that everyone was asking questions but not the core of where those questions come from.

Curiosity can manifest itself in a variety of ways. For some, it's a desire to understand how the world works that drives their interest in science and technology. Others are drawn to history, literature, or the arts because they are fascinated by the past and the stories that make up our collective human experience.

When learning about curiosity itself, it turns out there are more layers to it. Dr. Mario shared: “There are a few types of curiosity. 'Perceptual' curiosity is the curiosity we feel when things are surprising or ambiguous. 'Epistemic' curiosity is the one that drives scientific research. 'Diversive' curiosity is what we do to avoid boredom, and 'Specific' curiosity is about specific questions. There are more types (e.g. 'Morbid' curiosity, when people gather around accident sites).”

Each of these types of curiosity is responsible for different areas in that we, as humans, evolve and move forward. Dr. Livio shared that “perceptual curiosity is associated with an area in the brain that is related to conflict, or hunger, it represents an unpleasant state that we want to get out of. Epistemic curiosity is associated with an anticipation of reward (like when someone offers us a piece of chocolate.”

He added: “Epistemic curiosity has indeed led to progress in science. We are most curious when we already know something about a subject, but we know or feel that there is more to be known. Human curiosity has always surpassed the one needed for mere survival.”

Curiosity is a driving force behind innovation and progress. Many of the inventions and discoveries that have shaped our world today would not have been possible without curiosity. Therefore, we wanted to know some practical strategies that individuals and organizations can use to cultivate and leverage curiosity in their daily lives and work.

“Always start with something the person (or organization) is already curious about (and not with something you want them to be curious about) and then, find a way to connect what they are already curious about to what you think they should be curious about. Also, I coined the phrase, 'curiosity is the best remedy for fear.' If you are afraid of something, try to learn more about it,” shared Dr. Mario.

If you are interested in learning more about curiosity, there is no better way than reading Dr. Mario Livio’s book “Why: What Makes Us Curious”.