Why Curiosity is Crucial For Your Well-being

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1. Your life depends on it: Just think about when you were a child. Without your natural curiosity you would never have learned all the skills required for surviving as a grown up human being - and the consequences could have been disastrous! Just think about all the things children need to learn: talking, listening, crawling, walking, jumping, recognising what can be eaten and what cannot, not touching hot objects, not going too close to snakes, driving a bike, saving money, investing on stocks… I could go on for many pages.
2. Your career depends on it: So, you know COBOL? Good for you, but although some years ago it was a modern programming language, most of the programming jobs today are for Java programmers. And soon that’s going to change again: Ruby on Rails is becoming more and more popular, and the next generation is already in the making. There is no more escaping from the fact that the only thing that stays the same in today’s business environment is change. Everything changes, and you are required to be one step ahead - or at least following really close. Being curious and keeping an eye open for all possibilities to improve yourself certainly helps.
3. Your brain depends on it: Most scientists agree that learning does the same to your brain as running or gym training does to the rest of your body. It has been found that a higher level of education lessens the risk of Alzheimer’s and makes the symptoms start later compared to people with little or no education. The Alzheimer’s Association web site’s number one brain health suggestion is perfectly in line with my theme: “Stay curious and involved — commit to lifelong learning”
4. Your understanding depends on it: The more you learn the more you understand about Life, the Universe, and Everything. A wide knowledge on many areas makes you more prepared to receive new information and critically assess it’s quality and importance to you and your goals. You can compare the new information against material that you have accumulated to your mind through a life style of continuous learning and curiosity. This way your curiosity leads you to make wiser decisions and less suffering.
5. Your happiness depends on it: A curious person is rarely - if ever - bored. The smells, the colors, the way how a bus driver controls his car, can all lead to rewarding moments of discovery. For example today I found out that a cucumber is actually a fruit. I had never thought about it before, but discovering it still made my day a bit brighter. Learning is much more fun than your Swedish teachers ever told you in high school!
6. Your social life depends on it: Just admit it, curious people are more interesting than the rest of us. And the reason is actually quite simple: they know more about things, and therefore they can discuss all kinds of topics and usually even bring up some fresh and creative viewpoints to the discussion. Just remember one thing: your girlfriend might not be quite as interested in dinosaurs or new web development platforms as you are - so choose the discussion topics based on the people who you’re talking with. A wise man is more than just a person who knows a lot…

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