What is curiosity and why does it matter for creativity?
Curiosity is the desire to learn, explore, and discover new things. It is a natural and universal human trait that motivates us to seek answers, solve problems, and expand our horizons. Curiosity is also a key ingredient for creativity, the ability to produce original and valuable ideas. Creativity is not a fixed trait that some people have and others don't. It is a skill that can be developed and enhanced by cultivating curiosity.
But how exactly does curiosity fuel creativity? According to Steve Jobs, one of the most creative and innovative minds of our time, the answer is simple: "Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things."
In other words, curiosity provides the raw material for making connections and associations that are at the heart of creative thinking. The more we are curious, the more we expose ourselves to diverse and varied sources of information, inspiration, and insight. The more we store these experiences and memories in our brains, the more we have the potential to combine them in novel and original ways.
This is not a new idea. In fact, it is one of the oldest and most widely accepted theories of creativity, known as the associative theory. According to this theory, first proposed by the English philosopher John Locke in the 17th century, creativity is the result of associating ideas that are not usually connected. The more remote and unusual the association, the more creative the idea.
However, not all associations are equally creative. Some are more obvious and common, while others are more surprising and rare. The latter are more likely to produce creative ideas that are both novel and useful. But how do we make these rare and surprising associations? The answer is, again, curiosity.
Curiosity drives us to seek out new and unexpected information, to challenge our existing knowledge and assumptions, and to look for patterns and relationships that others might miss. Curiosity also helps us to overcome the mental barriers and biases that prevent us from making creative connections, such as functional fixedness, confirmation bias, and cognitive inertia.
How does curiosity work in the brain and how does it boost creativity?
Curiosity is not only a psychological phenomenon, but also a neurological one. Curiosity activates and enhances several brain regions and functions that are crucial for creativity. Here are some of the main ways that curiosity works in the brain and how it boosts creativity:
- Curiosity activates the brain's reward system, which releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good and motivates us to pursue our interests. Dopamine also plays a role in learning, memory, and cognition, as it helps us to focus our attention, process information, and retain knowledge. Dopamine also enhances our mood, which can have a positive effect on our creativity. Studies have shown that positive mood can increase our cognitive flexibility, fluency, and originality. As the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who coined the term "flow" to describe the optimal state of creativity, said: "Curiosity is the engine that drives us to explore new things and to learn new skills."
- Curiosity enhances memory and learning by stimulating the hippocampus, a brain region that is involved in forming and retrieving memories. When we are curious, we pay more attention to the information we encounter and we encode it more deeply in our brains. This allows us to store more knowledge and memories that we can later use for creative purposes. Studies have shown that curiosity can improve our memory performance and recall, especially for information that is related to our curiosity. As the neuroscientist Charan Ranganath, who conducted experiments on the link between curiosity and memory, said: "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."
- Curiosity stimulates the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is responsible for executive functions such as planning, decision making, and problem solving. When we are curious, we engage in more divergent thinking, which is the ability to generate many different ideas and perspectives. Divergent thinking is essential for creativity, as it helps us to overcome mental blocks and to find novel and original solutions. Studies have shown that curiosity can increase our divergent thinking performance and creativity. As the cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman, who studied the role of curiosity in creativity, said: "Curiosity is the gateway to both cognitive and emotional exploration, both of which are important for unleashing our creative potential."
Curiosity Leads to Creativity in Different Domains
Curiosity has been the driving force behind many creative achievements and innovations in various fields and disciplines. Here are some examples of how curiosity has inspired creativity in different domains:
- Science: Curiosity is the foundation of scientific inquiry and discovery. Many scientific breakthroughs and inventions have been the result of curious questions and observations. For example, Isaac Newton was curious about why an apple fell from a tree and formulated the law of universal gravitation. Albert Einstein was curious about the nature of light and space and developed the theory of relativity. Marie Curie was curious about the properties of radioactive elements and discovered polonium and radium. These are just a few examples of the countless scientific discoveries that have been driven by curiosity. As Einstein himself said: "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."
- Art: Curiosity is the source of artistic expression and exploration. Many artists have used curiosity as a way to experiment with new forms, techniques, and materials. For example, Leonardo da Vinci was curious about anatomy, engineering, and nature and created masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the Vitruvian Man. Pablo Picasso was curious about different styles and cultures and pioneered cubism and collage. Andy Warhol was curious about mass media and consumerism and created pop art. These are just a few examples of the many artistic movements and innovations that have been fueled by curiosity. As Picasso himself said: "The chief enemy of creativity is 'good' sense."
- Business: Curiosity is the catalyst for entrepreneurial innovation and success. Many entrepreneurs have used curiosity as a way to identify opportunities, create value, and solve problems. For example, Jeff Bezos was curious about the potential of the internet and founded Amazon. Elon Musk was curious about the future of transportation and energy and founded Tesla and SpaceX. Sara Blakely was curious about how to make women feel more comfortable and confident and founded Spanx. These are just a few examples of the many entrepreneurial ventures and successes that have been sparked by curiosity. As Bezos himself said: "The most important thing is to be customer-obsessed, and then to be inventive, and then to be willing to experiment."
How can we cultivate curiosity and enhance our creativity?
Curiosity is a skill that can be learned and practiced. Here are some tips and strategies to cultivate curiosity and enhance our creativity:
-
Asking questions is the simplest and most effective way to stimulate curiosity. Questions help us to challenge assumptions, seek new information, and open up new possibilities. We can ask questions such as: What if? Why? How? Who? When? Where? We can also ask ourselves: What am I curious about? What do I want to learn more about? What puzzles me? Asking questions can also help us to improve our critical thinking and analytical skills, which are important for evaluating and refining our creative ideas.
- Seek novelty: Seeking novelty is another way to spark curiosity. Novelty exposes us to new stimuli, experiences, and perspectives that can enrich our knowledge and imagination. We can seek novelty by: Trying new things, such as hobbies, activities, or cuisines. Traveling to new places, or exploring familiar places with fresh eyes. Reading, watching, or listening to something different from our usual preferences. Seeking novelty can also help us to develop our curiosity quotient (CQ), which is the measure of our willingness and ability to seek and enjoy new experiences. Studies have shown that CQ is positively correlated with creativity and innovation.
- Be open-minded: Being open-minded is a key attitude for fostering curiosity. Open-mindedness allows us to embrace uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity. It also enables us to appreciate diversity, difference, and change. We can be open-minded by: Suspending judgment and being willing to learn from others. Seeking feedback and being open to criticism. Adapting to new situations and changing our opinions when presented with new evidence. Being open-minded can also help us to increase our cognitive diversity, which is the diversity of our thoughts, perspectives, and mental models. Studies have shown that cognitive diversity can enhance our creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Be inspired: Being inspired is another way to ignite curiosity. Inspiration can come from various sources, such as people, stories, art, nature, or events. Inspiration can stimulate our curiosity by exposing us to new ideas, emotions, and possibilities. Inspiration can also motivate us to pursue our curiosity and to act on our creative ideas. We can be inspired by: Learning from role models, mentors, or peers who are creative and curious. Reading, watching, or listening to stories of creative achievements and innovations. Exposing ourselves to art, music, or literature that moves us or challenges us. Observing or experiencing nature, beauty, or wonder. Participating or witnessing events that are meaningful, exciting, or transformative.
- Have fun: Having fun is another way to foster curiosity. Fun can make us more curious by making us more relaxed, playful, and open. Fun can also make us more creative by making us more flexible, spontaneous, and imaginative. We can have fun by: Engaging in activities that we enjoy, such as games, sports, or hobbies. Playing with toys, tools, or materials that stimulate our curiosity and creativity. Laughing, joking, or teasing with others who share our sense of humor. Experimenting, improvising, or making mistakes without fear of failure. Celebrating, rewarding, or sharing our curiosity and creativity with others.
Quotes about curiosity that illustrate its importance and power for creativity:
· "Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people." - Leo Burnett, advertising executive and founder of Leo Burnett Company.
· "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." - Albert Einstein, physicist and Nobel laureate.
· "The future belongs to the curious. The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it and turn it inside out." - Anonymous
· "Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect." - Samuel Johnson, writer and lexicographer.
· "Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why." - Bernard Baruch, financier and statesman.
· "You can't just give someone a creativity injection. You have to create an environment for curiosity and a way to encourage people and get the best out of them." - Ken Robinson, educator and author.
· "Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning." - William Arthur Ward, writer and educator.
· "The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size." - Albert Einstein, physicist and Nobel laureate.
· "Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last." - Samuel Johnson, writer and lexicographer.
· "Creativity is intelligence having fun." - Albert Einstein, physicist and Nobel laureate.
Research studies that support the link between curiosity and creativity:
· A study by Kashdan and colleagues (2015) found that curiosity was positively related to creativity in both daily life and laboratory settings. The study also found that curiosity mediated the relationship between positive affect and creativity, suggesting that curiosity is one of the mechanisms by which positive mood enhances creativity.
· A study by Gruber and colleagues (2014) found that curiosity enhanced memory for incidental information that was presented during a trivia game. The study also found that curiosity increased activity in the hippocampus and the ventral striatum, two brain regions that are involved in memory and reward, respectively.
· A study by Jirout and colleagues (2015) found that curiosity was positively associated with divergent thinking, a measure of creative potential. The study also found that curiosity moderated the effect of stress on divergent thinking, suggesting that curiosity can buffer the negative impact of stress on creativity.
· A study by Hardy and colleagues (2017) found that curiosity was positively related to creative performance in a variety of tasks, such as generating alternative uses for a paper clip, writing a short story, and designing a new product. The study also found that curiosity mediated the relationship between openness to experience and creative performance, suggesting that curiosity is one of the facets of openness that contributes to creativity.
· A study by Reio and colleagues (2017) found that curiosity was positively related to creativity in a sample of employees from various organizations. The study also found that curiosity mediated the relationship between learning goal orientation and creativity, suggesting that curiosity is one of the motivational factors that drives learning and creativity.
I have a favorite expression that perhaps sums it all up: "the synonym for creativity is curiosity".
Comments