Curious?, by Todd Kashdan

Todd Kashdan’s first book for the general public, Curious? , strikes a perfect balance between engaging and informative. He offers interesting and accurate accounts of empirical research, dovetailed by vivid and often amusing images and stories, toward the general argument that curiosity is central to one’s ability to achieve meaning in life. In the process, he provides the reader with useful and (for the most part; see below) easy-to-implement suggestions for increasing curiosity. Much like his public speaking style, Kashdan writes with energy and humor that pervades the book and keeps the reader’s interest throughout. Furthermore, he tackles many of the ideas that are seemingly ‘wellbeaten paths’ in positive psychology and adds new twists, describing classic findings in new ways and synthesizing them with other, more often neglected research findings. While Curious? is clearly intended for lay audiences, it is arguably a worthwhile read for researchers for this reason – in much of his work, Kashdan has a way of turning assumptions on their head, bringing much-needed perspectives that are often conspicuously missing from discourse in positive psychology, and this book is no exception. In Chapters 1 and 2, Kashdan provides a theoretical overview, explaining why curiosity is worth pursuing. He introduces the idea of the ‘curious explorer’, in many ways similar to a person who is mindful in the traditional sense: fully ‘in’ the present moment, keenly aware of her entire range of emotional, cognitive, and physical experiences, and non-judgmental about these experiences (Brown & Ryan, 2003). However, according to Kashdan, the curious explorer enjoys several additional benefits; in addition to interacting with her environment with an open and curious mind (as one who is mindful does), the curious explorer is physically healthier, is more successful socially as a result of her curiosity about other people, feels engaged and invigorated by her work because she approaches it with intense interest, and lives a life full of meaning as a result. Chapter 3 provides a detailed account of the physiological processes that underlie curiosity, focusing on the roles played by dopamine, opioids, and the hippocampus with a brief treatment of neural plasticity. Chapters 4–6 discuss particular arenas in which curiosity is important and worth cultivating – in everyday routines, related to one’s interests and passions, and in close relationships – including suggestions for increasing curiosity in those domains. Chapter 7 addresses an important barrier to curiosity – namely, anxiety – while Chapter 8 discusses exceptions to the argument that more curiosity is better, focusing on pathologies that arise from overly intense or misplaced curiosity. Lastly, Chapter 9 discusses the big picture purpose of becoming more curious: meaning in life. Kashdan’s overarching point, crystallized in the final chapter, is that curiosity is the path through which individuals can find meaning in life. Interestingly, this argument did not resonate so well with me in earlier chapters; it seemed at first to be both a stretch and an oversimplification. However, all of that changed upon my reading of the final chapter. Here, Kashdan’s argument gels together in a way that is systematic, persuasive, and truly engaging. In this final chapter, he integrates themes from previous chapters to establish the following theoretical causal chain: meaning comes from knowing one’s values and behaving in accordance with those values. What one values stems from one’s interests, and curiosity is the mechanism by which interest can be lastingly maintained. At the same time that curiosity helps one act in accordance with one’s values by maintaining interest, values also work to maintain curiosity; values serve as a ‘compass’, which can provide motivation to overcome anxiety and worry that might otherwise stifle curiosity. All of this comes together in the final chapter – and even to someone familiar with the literature Kashdan cites, as many readers of this journal will be, the way that Kashdan weaves these details together surprises and intrigues.