Curiosity

What happens to our curiosity as we get older? It dwindles. But why?

If we ask questions or are curious about how and why things happen, the choices someone made, or how things work, we are criticized for not already having the knowledge. But how are we supposed to gain that knowledge if we don't ask why? Learning, growing, and gaining knowledge go hand in hand and it doesn't stop once you become an adult, it's an ever-revolving door.

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"People are sometimes fearful of asking questions lest they seem ill-informed, childlike, or even nosy. But opening the mind, pondering why, working out how, and finding out where is a great way to keep the brain and personal relationships in better shape".

- Teagan Olivia Sturmer

Life isn't about being the smartest person in the room, nor the strongest or fastest. Life is about experiencing as many opportunities as you can and learning something new, seeing someone new, and expanding your ever-growing knowledge. Life is about staying intellectually alive.

The advantages of curiosity go beyond academics. Exercising your curiosity (in a healthy way) leads to social, emotional, and psychological benefits. Those who aren't afraid to use their curiosity to grow as an individual tend to be happier, experience more positive emotions, have lower anxiety levels, and are genuinely more satisfied with their life.

The characteristics of the innate desire to discover everything around you and the craving for new experiences are described as those of a child. So how do you stay intellectually alive? How do you prevent your curiosity from dwindling? Use it! Let those childlike characteristics inspire you to ask questions, to explore. Don't lose that natural passion that you were born with for discovery and learning.