“Why do you have those things in your buggy?” I curiously asked the stranger in the store check out line. Mama turned beet red from embarrassment and apologized to the other woman for her my over curiosity. The woman smiled and said, “That’s ok. Kids should be curious.” I smiled as did Mama and patted me on the head. Mama sometimes would joke that my first word wasn’t “Mama” or “Daddy” but instead “Why.” I have always been curious for as long as I can remember. I remember growing up in the rural south and being curious about the different neighbors in our community, curious about exploring the wooded area and creek near our home, curious about why people liked certain things and not others, curious about different types of music, and so much more. When I got old enough to ride a bike, my curiosity took me all over our town exploring new things and learning more about the world around me and beyond as well as learning more about myself and what I enjoyed, disliked, my strengths, skills, interests etc.
Curiosity was my superpower on my bike as I rode all over town exploring. Later in life, my curiosity helped me during challenging times, like when I had to figure out a way to afford buying my own first car because my parents were not financially able to help me. I was curious about different options to solve the challenge to reach my goal of buying my first car, and I succeeded.
Later, as senior in high school, my parents moved us from the county to the city, a different school district from what I had attended since 1st grade. I tapped into my curiosity to figure out a way to get to back to my old high school to graduate with my friends that I had been with my entire time in school. By that time, my used car had some engine problems and wasn’t working. So, I used my curiosity superpower to figure out a way for me to get to the nearest county bus stop for my old high school, then get from high school to my after-work job and make money to fix my car as soon as possible. My curiosity resulted in me graduating with my friends in my county high school, and quickly getting my car fixed and back on the road.
In adulthood my curiosity superpower guided me through many changes along my personal and professional life including joining the Air Force, serving in the military and living overseas in different countries and cultures, transitioning out of the military into civilian jobs, navigating job layoffs, career growth and development, undergraduate and graduate school studies while working full-time, health challenges and improving my overall health, and many career and life transformation journeys.
Through it all, my curiosity superpower helped me to not only navigate the changes, transformation, and challenges, but to thrive. I was curious about why I felt certain emotions, both positive and negative, and what they were trying to tell me. Curious about how to navigate the changes in and around me, professionally, personally, politically, culturally, and more. Curiosity is a superpower, when tapped into, that can help all of us to effectively navigate challenging times and transformation and thrive.
And you don’t have to take only my personal stories as proof. The science of well-being and positive psychology contains many studies documenting positive impacts of the curiosity trait including increased life satisfaction, improved learning and development, enhanced creativity, reduced anxiety, self-improvement motivation, resilience, and a greater sense of well-being through openness to explore new ideas and experiences. One of my friends and mentors in the field of positive psychology and science of well-being, Dr. Todd Kashdan, has numerous research studies and scientific journal articles on the topic of curiosity. If you want to know more about the science and benefits of curiosity, check out the references below this article. You can also check out Dr. Todd Kashdan’s blog on Substack, Provoked with Dr. Todd Kashdan.
Recently, I took my first trip to Japan for two weeks and visited Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. I also capped off the 2 ½ week trip with several days in Seoul, which I’ve visited 9 times so far. In all of the destinations, new and familiar, I embraced my curiosity about the different neighborhoods, temples, shrines, cultures, food, people, and more. My curiosity led me to explore many new places and embrace new experiences that I would otherwise have missed if not curious. My curiosity led me to try Blowfish (pufferfish) with my husband’s cousin and her Japanese husband in Osaka! A memorable experience and meal with everything from the Blowfish, including the sake made with the smoked fin of the Blowfish! It was all delicious!
And through my curiosity and experiences in the most recent trip, I developed new insights for my career and personal journey ahead and continued transformation. My curiosity has me excited for the future before me. As I returned home to the U.S. and a tumultuous national election in a divided nation with many who are worried about the future, I’m also tapping into my curiosity about what happened and the way forward, remaining true to my values and principles to contribute to a nation and world that is more just, loving, and inclusive where everyone can thrive as their true selves.
No matter where you are right now personally or professionally, tap into your curiosity superpower to guide you through the challenging times and transformation and help you thrive. As always, I encourage you to reflect on your own stories and experiences with curiosity, and how it shows up in your life. I hope this article helps each of you in your journey and prompts you to think of your own related stories that may help you. Your curiosity superpower is there inside waiting for you to tap into it and soar high above the challenges, work towards your goals, and thrive. And I am always interested in hearing and learning from all of you and your related stories because as always, Your Story Matters.
References
Kashdan, T. B., Stiksma, M. C., Disabato, D. J., McKnight, P. E., Bekier, J., Kaji, J., & Lazarus, R. (2018). The five-dimensional curiosity scale: Capturing the bandwidth of curiosity and identifying four unique subgroups of curious people. Journal of Research in Personality, 73, 130-149. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656617301149
Kashdan, T. B. (2024). Foreword: The psychology of curiosity, purpose, flexibility, and more. http://www.drpaulwong.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Foreword-by-Todd-Kashdan-v1.pdf
Kashdan, T. B., Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., & McKnight, P. E. (2020). The Five-Dimensional Curiosity Scale Revised (5DCR): Briefer subscales while separating overt and covert social curiosity. Personality and individual differences, 157, 109836. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019188692030026X