Embrace curiosity
How to make curiosity a daily practice.
When was the last time something sparked your curiosity?
What’s one question you could ask yourself more often?
How could curiosity make your life both more engaging and emotionally lighter?
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Curiosity is the desire to know and learn. It means recognizing that we don’t have all the answers and feeling eager to understand why things happen, how they work, or what might come next.
Curious people ask probing questions, listen actively, and observe attentively. They seek new information, explore different perspectives, and try new experiences. They challenge untested assumptions, investigate new possibilities, and find creative solutions to challenges. Curiosity also helps them reflect on themselves and adapt to new situations.
At its core, curiosity is about seeing the world through fresh eyes—like a researcher, a child, a novice, or even an alien. This mindset makes everything feel new and endlessly fascinating.
Biases that inhibit curiosity
The way our minds naturally work can sometimes get in the way of curiosity. For example, confirmation bias makes us seek information that supports what we already believe, rather than exploring alternative viewpoints. The illusion of explanatory depth makes us think we deeply understand something complex—until we try to explain it and realize there’s much more to learn. Then there’s WYSIATI bias (What You See Is All There Is)—our tendency to assume that the information we have is the whole picture, without considering what’s missing. Truth bias can also play a role, making us assume information is true unless we have a reason to doubt it. Being aware of these biases helps us reduce their influence and use curiosity to expand our understanding.
A word of warning
Curiosity is valuable, but be mindful that it doesn’t distract you from what matters. It’s easy to get caught up in exploring one thing after another and lose track of your priorities. Be curious, but also check in with yourself: Is this helping me focus on what’s important, or is it just a distraction?
The power of curiosity
Curiosity is a powerful tool that can benefit every aspect of life. Asking questions—whether it's "Why," "What," "How," “What if…?” “What might I…?”—encourages deeper exploration, helps us challenge assumptions, and promotes greater knowledge and self-awareness. Below are just a few examples of how curiosity can be applied across different areas. The questions listed are by no means exhaustive, but they serve as a starting point to help guide you toward new insights and opportunities for growth.
👉 Understanding values
Your personal values reflect how you want to behave and guide your decisions and actions to align with what truly matters to you. To better understand them, ask yourself: What kind of parent, partner or friend do I want to be? What personal qualities would I like to bring to my relationships or the workplace? How would I treat others if I were my ideal self? Are my values constructive?
👉 Managing thoughts
Curiosity helps you question unhelpful thoughts to challenge their accuracy and reduce their negative impact. Instead of just accepting them as true, ask: What evidence do I have that this thought is true? What evidence contradicts it? How does this thought make me feel and act? Am I focusing only on the negatives? Is there a more helpful way to interpret this situation?
👉 Managing feelings
Instead of trying to avoid, suppress, or get rid of unhelpful feelings, such as anxiety and stress, get curious and explore them to lessen their impact: Why do I feel this way? What is this feeling trying to tell me? What thoughts are fueling this feeling? Am I reacting to the present moment, or is this tied to something from the past? What small action could I take to feel even slightly better?
👉 Dismantling bad habits
Use curiosity to dismantle automatic patterns that feel good in the moment but aren’t helpful in the long run. Pause and ask: What triggers this behavior? What underlying need does it meet? Is this pattern helping me move toward my goals? What constructive behaviors could meet this need?
👉 Taking action
Instead of letting anxiety stop you from taking action, use curiosity to move forward. Shift the focus from fear of the unknown to exploration and growth: What’s the worst that could happen, and how would I handle it? What could I learn from this, no matter the outcome? What’s one small step I can take right now? What’s more uncomfortable—taking a step or staying stuck?
👉 Designing your life
Curiosity is an important aspect of the life design mindset. It helps you explore different possibilities and move forward, instead of staying stuck on one path. Ask yourself: What values are most important to me? What need am I trying to meet? What alternative paths could help me meet this need? What’s one small step I can take right now to start moving forward?
👉 Making decisions
When making decisions, curiosity helps you explore different options rather than rushing into a choice. Ask: What options haven’t I thought of yet? How does each option align with my personal values and life purpose? What might I learn from each option, regardless of the outcome? What would I recommend a good friend in this situation? What option excites me, and why?
👉 Achieving goals
Curiosity increases your chances of reaching your goals by shifting the focus from just the outcome to enjoying and learning from the process along the way. Ask: What’s the next smallest step I can take that will move me forward? How can I celebrate the progress I’ve made so far? How can I make this process more meaningful or enjoyable? What small adjustments can I make to improve my approach?
How to make curiosity a habit
Turn curiosity into a habit by regularly using these simple techniques. Use one or more each day—by weaving them into daily moments, when you feel bored, or when something sparks your interest.
⚒️ Look with fresh eyes
Seeing familiar things with fresh eyes can make them feel new and interesting again.
Imagine you’re experiencing something for the first time—even if you’ve seen it a thousand times before. This helps you notice details you usually overlook and sparks new questions.
Some examples:
👉 With people, even close ones like a partner: Before a conversation, pause and imagine you’re meeting them for the first time. Ask yourself questions like: What assumptions about them might not be true? What part of their story do I not fully know? What do they value most in life? What makes them feel most alive? What fears or challenges do they face? What are their biggest hopes for the future? This helps you see them in a new light and deepen your connection.
👉 With everyday objects: At least once a day or whenever you feel bored, pick something—a cup, a phone, or a tree—and study it as if you’ve never seen it before. Ask yourself questions like: What details about this object do I usually overlook? What shape is it? What materials is it made of? How does it feel? What is its purpose? How does it work? How would I describe this object to someone who has never seen it before?
👉 With routines: Use the start of daily habits as cues to shake up your usual routine. Take a different route to work, eat with your non-dominant hand, or take a break to walk during your usual afternoon slump. This helps keep your brain alert and curious.
👉 With problems or ideas: Ask yourself questions like: How would I approach it differently if I knew nothing about this? What assumptions am I making that might not be true? How would I explain this to a beginner? This can lead to creative solutions.
Practicing this regularly trains your brain to stay curious, break autopilot thinking, and rediscover a sense of wonder in everyday life.
⚒️ Use the “Why?” chain
Act like a child who keeps asking “Why?” after every answer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that seem naive—sometimes, the simplest questions can reveal the most. For example:
🤔 Why is the sky blue? Because sunlight reaching Earth’s atmosphere is scattered in all directions.
🤔 Why does sunlight scatter like that? Because of the gases and particles in the air.
🤔 Why does this make the sky look blue? …
This keeps curiosity alive and leads to deeper understanding.
⚒️ Look from the opposite perspective
See assumptions, opinions or beliefs from the opposite point of view to expand your perspective. If you think something is true, ask:
🤔 What would someone with opposing beliefs say about this?
🤔 What would the biggest critic say about this?
🤔 What if the opposite were true?
This challenges assumptions, sparks curiosity, and opens new ways of thinking.
⚒️ Learn one new thing a day
Set aside time each day to learn something new, whether it’s a small fact or idea. It doesn’t need to be complex—just something that sparks your curiosity. This can be as simple as looking up a topic you’ve always wondered about, reading an interesting article, listening to a podcast or learning a new word in a different language. By making this a regular part of your routine, you train your brain to stay curious. Embracing lifelong learning helps keep your mind sharp and open to new possibilities.
Additional tips
👉 Mentally rehearse curiosity: Imagine yourself approaching situations with curiosity before they happen. Picture asking questions, exploring different angles, and staying open to new ideas. Practicing this mindset helps turn curiosity into a habit.
👉 Be present: Curiosity thrives when you are fully present in the moment. Avoid distractions and allow yourself to be absorbed in what’s happening around you. The more engaged you are, the more opportunities you'll have to spark curiosity.
👉 Ask open-ended questions: Instead of asking yes-or-no questions, ask questions that invite deeper exploration. Questions like "What’s the story behind this?" or "Why does this matter?" lead to more insight and discovery.
👉 Share with others: Discuss what you’ve learned with others. Talking about new facts, perspectives, or ideas not only reinforces your understanding but also spreads curiosity to others, making it a shared experience.
👉 Make time for reflection: At the end of each day or week, take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve learned or discovered. This helps reinforce your curiosity and gives you a sense of progress as you build this habit.
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Curiosity is the desire to know and learn. It’s about seeing the world through fresh eyes and asking open-ended questions, just like a child does. Cultivating curiosity benefits every aspect of life and makes life endlessly interesting. When we stay open-minded and willing to explore, the world presents us with countless possibilities. However, it's important to make sure that curiosity doesn't distract us from what truly matters.
References
How Curious Are You?, Psychology Today, by Diane E Dreher Ph.D.
Curiosity can empower you or impede you, by James Clear
Why It's Better to Stay Curious Than to Make Assumptions, Psychology Today, by Matthew Legge
