The Importance of Curiosity

Are you a curious person?

Curiosity is important. When we speak of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, curiosity is an extremely strong intrinsic motivator and is absolutely crucial to our goal of being productive, creative, and effective people. According to Psychology Today, in reference to a study by Todd Kashdan of George Mason University:

"People who exhibit high levels of curiosity, he found, experience higher levels of satisfaction with life than their more disengaged peers. While the less curious derive more pleasure from hedonistic behaviors such as sex and drinking, curious people report finding a greater sense of meaning in life, which is a better predictor of sustainable, lasting happiness."

Curiosity has also been shown to positively correlate with personal growth, openness to experience, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, psychological flexibility, positive affect, and positive social relations. 

As an added bonus, curious people tend to be less predisposed to interpersonal aggression. This might be helpful not only for choosing the people you want to be around, but also in thinking about your own attributes as well.