Curiosity is the foundation of research & research is the foundation of knowledge; This is a slogan I mustered up when considering curiosity and the role it plays in fostering research and thus knowledge. I consider myself to be a highly inquisitive individual, forever reading articles, scrolling through web feeds, constantly caught up in my own thoughts. This happens to be my best trait. Not to mention my biggest downfall. My curious ways have led me to an abundance of knowledge on a wide scope of topics from high-brow politics to pop-culture fandom. For example did you know the worlds oldest woven garment is an Egyptian dress known as the Tarkhan dress, or that Brad has been texting Jennifer following his sudden split from Angie. Scandalous. My point is, curiosity can take you anywhere. It helps you immerse yourself in culture heightens your senses and stimulates memory intake at a rate you wouldn’t believe.
At times we all become caught up in the marvelous swirling cacophony we know to be our thoughts. We often consider spending much of the day day-dreaming, fleshing out these strange entities as a waste of our valuable time, but how can kneading and molding and changing a puzzle of ideas into something succinct and meaningful hold no stature of importance?
Behind great epiphany’s, astonishing scientific discoveries and mere everyday findings, there is one raging catalyst. Curiosity.
All great knowledge stems from an individual or groups curious nature. The want of greater self awareness and a belief that there is always a greater power, a broader understanding of how things work in there current state or how things should work in a Utopian society. It is a characteristic embedded in the human condition. Many scientists who have examined curiosity in relation to research have come to the conclusion that curiosity is an instinctive feature of humans and animals alike.
In their publishing The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity Hayden and Kidd use a working definition of curiosity “as a drive state for information,” in other words, we are curious because we want to learn. They present curiosity as a form of information seeking and go on further to state that this state of seeking can be observed in mundane circumstances and in organisms as simple as nematode worms.
Hayden and Kidd; The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity.
There a numerous benefits to an inquiring mind. To reach meaning and purpose in life we must find something or someone that unleashes our natural curiosity and fascination. Studies have revealed that curiosity undoubtedly correlates with intelligence , health and general well-being. In 1996 a study was published called Psychology and Aging revealing that over a period of five years more than 1,000 older adults aged 60 to 86 those who were ranked most curious at the beginning of the study were most likely to be alive at its conclusion. A true testament to an active mind.
Curiosity and it’s symbiotic relationship with research & knowledge can be understood in one simple sentence – a desire to grasp the unknown.
References:
https://experiencelife.com/article/the-power-of-curiosity/. Accessed 1 March 2017
Image sourced from: https://www.askideas.com/curiouser-and-curiouser/. Accessed 2 March 2017.
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