Curiosity is the Answer to this Moment

"Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all." - Alastair Reid

“The Geographer” by Johannes Vermeer, at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. This painting has always reminded me of the feeling of awe, wonder, and exploration. Vermeer is also known for “the Girl with the Pearl Earring” and is additionally mysterious because only 26 (I think) of his paintings exist now. Also one of his works was the victim of a famous art heist at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Curiosity is the Answer to this Moment

I’ve taken some time away from publishing to collect my thoughts in light of an election that really took up too much of my brainspace for too long. The year ahead will definitely bring some changes to our country, and, in my opinion, we need to listen to each other with more intention than we ever have before. The party that had success this cycle earned a very diverse coalition of votes, and that is actually a good thing, and something we need to pay attention to. We are not as divided as traditional or social media would have us believe, but because of this bombardment using divisive storylines, it’s going to take courage for us to see friends where we’re told to see enemies. That might be difficult to read, but I think the only way to start to work on healing is first by allowing for that possibility. 

I want to turn away from political topics for a bit now, but I doubt I will succeed in that objective.  Know that in all of my writing, I have the goal of elevating the health of our social order, our country and our species. In this essay, I would like to elevate the importance of curiosity.

At this moment, society is paying for our collective lack of connection to curiosity, awe, and imagination. Further if you haven’t experienced curiosity or awe in a long time, or if you find that you might yourself be incapable of experiencing awe, that may be a warning sign for your individual health.

My evidence that our loss of curiosity is costing us dearly: 

1. Prevalent apathy toward science has caused us to bungle a pandemic response. 

2. A lack of basic knowledge about human health, psychology, nutrition, and exercise is causing society to spend vast amounts on care for preventable human conditions.

3. Apathy towards basic concepts of statistics and environmental science result in political paralysis in the face of planetary climate change that we can mitigate.

4. Lack of interest in the principles of self-governance and responsible citizenship has resulted in election results that stand in stark contrast to centuries of extremely hard-won human self-governance progress both within as well as between nations.

5. A failure to feel awe when learning about the major events of the last 200 years of human history is apparent as we cavalierly and lazily oversimplify complex issues with disregard to knowledge of what has caused past tragedies (Reminder: the total number of fatalities our species has experienced due to past pandemics such as polio, both world wars, and other conflicts, human trafficking and slavery, when summed, measures well into the hundreds of millions. If we are to honor this sacrifice, and not repeat these experiences, we must be curious.).

6. Loneliness is growing and interpersonal connection is declining. The truth is that curiosity causes us to take an interest in fellow members of our species. It’s fundamental to caring for one another. 

7. Trust is declining and cynicism is growing. Curiosity and cynicism do not coexist well. If one is present the other is often absent. Which do you observe more frequently in yourself as well as out in society?

Curiosity is good for your health. On the most basic level, if you’re curious about the human body, you would be interested in learning more about it and how to care for the one you have. That’s an immediate connection of curiosity to health. And taking care of yourself relieves your insurance company and society from having to try to care for you. By making sure you get daily bitter leafy greens, you will both feel better and do your part of taking care of yourself so you can care for others (and, actually, if you try to eat fresh, bitter leafy greens in your salad once a day, they will start to taste good after a week or two just because of the way our brains form habits and mental connections to feeling good as well as satiated - by the way, isn’t that interesting?!).

If you find that you haven’t experienced the feeling of intense curiosity in a long time, it is time to get in touch with curiosity again. Curiosity promotes health because people who are open to learning have natural antibodies to cynicism. People who have given in to cynicism are less healthy, less successful, and more susceptible to conspiracy theories than those who work against these impulses through the exercise of curiosity and the hard work of skeptical research (Refs. 1,2,3). 

Curiosity is associated with youth. As we age, if we maintain the strength of our curiosity, it can cause physical responses that are good for our overall health and longevity. Allowing yourself to explore a new topic, to seek a beautiful scene outdoors, to be open to a brand new human connection, all release good hormones for mood, such as dopamine and oxytocin (Ref 4). Allowing yourself the freedom to playfully explore a new topic or experience awe will lower your stress level, and be good for your cardiovascular health. It’s good for your spirit, your behavioral health, your physical wellbeing, and it can improve your relationships because curiosity is contagious.

Curiosity has a playful side. The curious are those whose minds work against the atrophy of cynicism. 

Curiosity is also the answer to this moment in time and the challenges before us personally and as an aggregate society. It is only by asking questions with an open mind about how we got here, the factors at play, the levers we can operate, what’s in our control, and what is not, that we can address problems at all scales. 

I am usually not one to make New Year’s resolutions. But I have one this year, and I offer it to you as well. Curiosity is lost as we age. I challenge you and myself to access and exercise the muscle of curiosity. Seek awe relentlessly. 

We demure from our youthful playfulness as we get older. We respond to peer pressure to be cool. We glaze over at ‘the details,’ and move on. We cut ourselves off from the experience of spirit-rejuvenating awe. 

I am guilty of this myself, which is why I offer this as a “group challenge.” I have a healthy curiosity, but there have been times in my life when the spirit of exploration has been dimmer than it should have been, and my work and health suffered. A lot of you knew me during such periods. Many of you who know me also know that I’ve often had trouble accessing the “silly” side of myself. Mine has always been a serious curiosity, until the fun of awe brings out my silly side, which is when I start to ramble about everything that inspires me.

Awe and curiosity are the antidote to cynicism. I also think they can be a vaccine against human isolation and a boost for the building of friendship and family. Collective curiosity and awe can build trust between individuals and societies. Let’s let curiosity back into our daily lives.

In case you were looking for some ideas to spark curiosity, I am prepared: 

1. ChatGPT is a great asset to learn new topics, but one of my favorite applications is to use to practice Italian every day. 

2. On that note, make an effort to learn the new language you’ve been talking about. And then look for a expat group in your area to meet some folks over coffee to practice. In bocca al lupo! (“in the mouth of the wolf!” which is an old Italian way of saying “good luck!” - again - isn’t that interesting? How did such an expression originate?)

3. Recall a time when you’ve ‘played it cool’ about something that inspired you, and you demured because of social pressure. Resolve to not hold back next time. It will be difficult, because I find it can be like a habit or muscle memory that we need to un-do. But, it can be done! (in fact, the habit can be broken and a new one established in just a few weeks’ time, due to the way habits are formed and broken in our neural systems - a really cool and useful fact, right?)

4. When’s the last time you went to a museum or a zoo? Pick at least one museum in your area and visit regularly. Museums change their programming and exhibits, so it’s worth visiting the permanent and temporary exhibits several times a year, and this takes the pressure off seeing the entire building in one visit. And, bring a kid in your life with you, or volunteer to bring a kid through a mentorship program. Museums, like stadiums and malls, courthouses, and airports, serve vital civic functions and facilitate community building. 

5. When was the last time you went for a hike (or even a slow walk in your neighborhood or in a historic area of town you haven’t explored)? Time to change that. 

6. Please share other ideas for facilitating curiosity, awe and creativity in the comments.

Note: If you enjoyed this writing, you can see the rest of my essays at: frankcentinello.substack.com

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Note: Francis Bacon might have said that “Knowledge is Power.” And if he didn’t actually say it, Thomas Jefferson agreed with the phrase because he used it himself. I believe access to knowledge should be free, and I aim to keep my work free for all.

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References: 

1. Alison Flood, Why overcoming your cynicism could be key to a healthier, happier life, New Scientist, 12 August 2024

2. Dr. Jamil Zaki, Psych.D., on recent episodes of the Ten Percent Happier Podcast, on the Finding Mastery podcast, and on the Good Life Project podcast, which has the title “The Surprising Science of Cynicism and Hope.”

3. Stavrova, O., Ehlebracht, D., ​​The Cynical Genius Illusion: Exploring and Debunking Lay Beliefs About Cynicism and Competence, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Feb 2019

4. Book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at Berkeley; podcast interview of Prof Dacher Keltner by Rangan Chatterjee, MD.

Not directly referenced here, but these are two truly awe-inspiring conversations to listen to:

5. Ryan Holiday’s interview of Francis Ford Coppola after the debut of his latest movie Megalopolis, which I thought was awesome (in the correct sense of the word).

6. Ryan Holiday’s interview of author John Valliant.