We have heard for years that curiosity killed the cat, but this article shows that we should actually become more curious as we go along and maybe as we get older we should become even more curious. A synopsis is below and the original article can be found here.
“How curiosity rewires your brain for change”
by Anne-Laure Le Cunff:
In this insightful piece, Anne-Laure Le Cunff explores how curiosity is far more than a personality trait — it’s a powerful neurological tool for adapting to change. Drawing from both personal experience and neuroscience, the article explains how curiosity activates the brain’s dopaminergic system, enhancing reward anticipation, memory retention, and learning efficiency.
Most importantly, curiosity boosts neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to rewire itself in response to new experiences — an essential function during periods of uncertainty and transformation. By reframing change from a threat to an opportunity, curiosity increases tolerance for prediction error, synchronizes introspective and executive brain networks, and acts as a buffer against anxiety.
The article outlines five practical strategies to cultivate curiosity in uncertain times:
- Reframe challenges with “What if?”
- Take daily “field notes” like an anthropologist of your own life
- Run small experiments instead of big leaps
- Embrace not knowing
- Treat failure as feedback, not defeat
Ultimately, Le Cunff encourages readers to see curiosity not just as an asset but as a practice — one that transforms how we engage with the unknown and builds mental resilience for the long haul.
