[Raghib Ahmed]

We all understand that learning is extremely important. The acquisition of knowledge helps advance societies and people in every way imaginable. It is also extremely important then, to find ways to foster and enhance learning.

One way this is done is by piquing curiosity. We, understandably, are more eager to learn when we are curious about a subject. But that’s not the only benefit.

Curiosity enhances learning.

A new neuroscience study has found that when people are curious, their learning in general is enhanced. They are more receptive to information and have a boost in memory. What’s more is that when they are in a curious state from one thing, they learn better for other things that are unrelated.

So simply being curious about one thing makes it easier to learn anything.

The author’s of the study wrote: “Curiosity may put the brain in a state that allows it to learn and retain any kind of information, like a vortex that sucks in what you are motivated to learn, and also everything around it.”

But what exactly goes on in our brains when curiosity strikes? How does it make us more eager to learn and enhance learning?

Curiosity activates the reward section of the brain.

From the same study, they state that curiosity activates the hippocampus. This part of the brain is strongly linked to the brain’s reward system, and plays a big role in intrinsic motivation. This means that when people are curious, they have more motivation and drive to learn, because the brain rewards them with feelings of happiness – from releasing the chemical dopamine. This state of motivation and feeling good makes our brain more responsive to learn and retain information, regardless of what that information is.

Why curiosity is important.

Being curious then, sounds like a pretty good idea. To make ourselves and our lives better, we must learn and apply the right knowledge. Learning and applying can be pretty difficult though. It can be time-consuming, tedious, and confusing. Being curious though, will help alleviate these problems. It motivates and drives us to get out of our comfort zones and persist. These are key ingredients to help us maintain consistency so that we can succeed. Curiosity is a gateway to betterment.

For most people though, their curiosity levels peak when they’re young, never to return, or even come close, to those levels. It’s very unfortunate.

We all have this innate curiosity of the world within us since the day we are born, but as we grow older, life finds a way to beat that curiosity out of us. Our desire to conform, and our desire to be comfortable, stray us from the path of curiosity. We stop asking questions because we’re afraid of feeling stupid and uncertain. We stop learning. And once we do that, we stop growing.

So, how can we make ourselves curious again?

3 ways to develop curiosity.

1) Question everything

The word ‘why’ has a lot of value. Instead of taking things as given, ponder to yourself, or ask someone, ‘why?’. Questioning everything isn’t about being paranoid or not ever being satisfied with answers. It’s about being open-minded (see below). Once you get in the habit of questioning things, you will of course pique your curiosity. From asking why, you will learn the why, and dive further to learn the what, when, who, where, and how. You’ll gain the benefits of enhanced learning, and you’ll also gain the benefit of becoming more of an understanding person, which is an excellent trait to have.

2) Read

There are millions of different worlds out there, and they can be found within books and the Internet. Don’t underestimate the power of reading. By putting yourself out there and into different worlds by reading, you’ll expand your mind. It opens the doors to all sorts of possibilities for you to dive in. The more diverse things you read, the more diverse and interesting you’ll become. Reading helps you to practice curiosity, and it perpetuates it. Reading makes you curious, you’re curiosity leads you to read some more which makes you more curious, and so on. This trained curiosity can then be applied to other areas you want to improve and grow in. It will motivate you to want to learn and do things that you may have been put off by – things that may be good for you like exercising and studying.

3) Be open-minded

Be open to new experiences. Be open to new ways. Be open to being wrong. Don’t be quick to judge. Being open-minded is all about being conscious of the important fact that nothing is ever just black or white. It will help you understand that you mustn’t always judge things at face value. Things are usually a lot more complex and deeper than we realise.

If we haven’t got the patience to actually sit down to learn and understand something, then we shouldn’t try to hold a strong opinion of it. We live in a world with so much information, and with that information has come this idea that we all must have an opinion about everything. It leads to too many people having too many opinions on things they know nothing about. And the more close-minded they are, the more strong opinions they have. They become stubborn, and restrict themselves from learning new things or experiencing new ideas.

Close-mindedness is the opposite of learning. It’s what puts people at a disadvantage in bettering themselves. By being open-minded, you give permission to others to teach you things you may not have known. ANYONE can teach you SOMETHING if you are open enough. Being actively open-minded is the epitome of curiosity. Being open-minded enhances learning, and advances people.

Stay curious, keep growing.

If you ever find yourself wishing you had more motivation and want to learn something, then focus on developing your curiosity. External motivation tends to be fleeting and unsustainable. However, intrinsic motivation, from developing curiosity, will last.

Stay curious, and you’ll keep growing.

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Thanks for this useful information... I enjoyed reading your post!

[Raghib Ahmed]

No problem . Thank you for reading it!