Curious and Creative

Tag: psychology

  • “The Importance of Asking Why”

    January 26, 2025

    “Our behavior is affected by our assumptions or our perceived truths. We make decisions based on what we think we know,” wrote Simon Sinek, author of the book Start with Why.

    Many know the importance of asking “why “ questions. Many have sought knowledge and better understanding, which is perhaps why Simon Sinek’s TED Talk “Start with Why” has over 9 million views, and why his book Start with Why has sold over a million copies worldwide.

    As a toddler and young child, humans ask many questions, particularly ones that begin with “why.” Asking questions helps the toddler and young child develop language and understanding. The average 2 to 5 year old may ask over 400 questions per day.

    During Andrew Vincent’s 2019 TEDx Talk, he stated, once a child enters and proceeds through the educational process, questions start to no longer be asked or questioned. When a teen enters secondary school, they start chasing exam results. As teens, students may not think about the question at all. The focus becomes getting an answer that is required to get the grade that the student wants.  

    “The question is no longer questioned, and the question is set by someone else,” commented Vincent.  Yet, questions will arise, and answers matter. Vincent pointed out that questions matter even more. The questions of discovery are the beautiful questions, and they can never be used too much.

    I found several resources outlining benefits of asking questions, including ones that Andrew Vincent notes his TEDx Talk. Asking questions helps us:

    • Forge connections
    • Emphasize.
    • Get to know people.
    • Understand why things are the way they are.
    • Clarify underlying motivations.
    • Encourage critical thinking and critical thinking skills.
    • Build stronger relationships.

    This brings me back to Sinek. In his book, Sinek highlighted the concept of the Golden Circle. Think of three concentric circles:  In the smallest inner circle is the word ‘why”, in the next circle is the word “how,” and the outer circle is the word “what.” Many organizations and individuals may be able to answer what they do and how it is done.  Yet, there are many, perhaps even yourself, your organization, or your business may not have answered the why of what you do. Answering the “why” we do what we do could help us understand better, plus, motivate us and others. Most particularly, we differentiate ourselves and stand out from our competitors.


    The Golden Circle as described by Simon Sinek

    Resources:

    Carew International. Retrieved on 1/25/2025 from https://www.carew.com/why-should-we-ask-why-20-creative-ways-to-ask-why-that-you-can-use-today/

    Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Act. Portfolio/Penguin.

    Vincent, Andrew. “The Art of Asking Questions.” TEDX Bollington. TEDX Talks. July 15.2019.

  • How do you ask questions?

    January 16, 2025

    I once heard that there is no such thing as a “dumb” question, but one that is not asked. Many people hold back from asking questions, because they are afraid to look foolish or be embarrassed. If a question is in your mind, it might be one that others have as well. Ask the question.

    In my last blog, I asked my readers, “Do you ask questions?” In this blog, I am focusing on how you ask questions. The way you ask questions will give you the direction to the possible answers. How we ask questions of others and ourselves impacts and affects communication. I have learned that lesson many times over, particularly as a parent.

    As a child, my younger son did not ask “why” questions as often as he asked “how” questions. He wanted to know how to do things. If I asked if he cleaned his room, an overwhelming feeling of “where do I begin?”  would wash over him. Rather, if he could pick up the towels in his room and take them to the laundry room; he was able to do that.

    My younger son is now 26 years old. He was diagnosed twenty years ago with Asperger’s syndrome, more commonly known now as autism spectrum disorder. Over the preceding years, he was also diagnosed with audio processing challenges and attention deficit disorder (inattentive type), which can cause some communication challenges.

    Over the last two decades, I have learned to phrase my questions better, so I can help my son understand what I am asking of him. I am learning to speak more slowly. Admittedly, in the rush of the day, I am still working on slowing down, calling out his name and waiting for a response before asking a question or listing things to do. I am working to reduce what we call in our home, “drive by instructions.” I admit it some communication habits are hard to break without practice. I have learned that how we phrase questions can matter.

    I would like you to take a few moments to read the following scenario. Take your time. Here is a scenario:  You are in a tight financial position this month, as an unexpected expense came about. You’re stressed and finances are spread thinly.  If you asked yourself, “what should I do?” How would your mind process an answer? You may draw a blank, or panic, or just stare at a computer screen. Instead of asking yourself, “what should I do?”  Ask yourself “what could I do,” or,  “How am I doing now?”

    Phrasing questions may impact your brain’s information, an internet search, or something else from other individuals and sources. Take the time to consider the types of questions that you want to ask.

    Writer J. Robert Parkinson once heard a talk radio guest comment, “ask the wrong question, and you’ll get the wrong answer.” Parkinson wrote that although no one deliberately seeks a wrong answer, you might get one, if you do not give enough forethought to what question you want to ask.

    Parkinson suggested asking open-ended questions with “how,” “why,” or “what.” Using open-ended questions can collect a lot of info from the other person and about a particular subject.

    As I continued my research, I came across a blog from the Curiosity Tank.

    Here are some tips from that blog:

    • Identify and avoid leading questions, these are any questions that contain bias.
    • Remove any industry jargon or acronyms. Simplify.
    • Eliminate any unnecessary words.
    • Phrase questions in layperson terms.

    Here is some other advice: ask one question at a time. Pause after each question. Give the other person time to reply. Do not jump in after the initial reply. Pause again after hearing the initial response. It takes practice. Before asking a question, think about how you will ask it.

    Resources:

    Curiosity Tank blog “Question wording is Important.” Retrieved on January 15., 2025 from https://www.curiositytank.com/blog/question-wording-is-important

    Parkinson, J. Robert “Phrasing questions to get right information is a necessary art.”January 4, 2014. The Herald Tribune. Retrieved on January 15, 2025 from https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2014/01/04/phrasing-questions-to-get-right-information-is-a-necessary-art/29220850007/

    “Question Phrasing’”. Retrieved on January 15, 2025, from https://wp.stolaf.edu/iea/question-phrasing/

  • Do You Ask Questions?

    January 13, 2025

    Did you know that a four-year-old asks between 200 and 300 questions a day?  According to a report by Harvard based psychologist Paul Harris, a child can ask around 40 thousand questions between 2 to 4 years of age. Asking questions, particularly “why” questions, is a crucial part of a child’s language development and learning process.

    Yet, between childhood and adulthood, the number of questions adults ask diminishes greatly. Adults ask an average of six questions a day. As a curious person and writer, I ask a lot of questions, but I was astounded at that low average.  Frankly, I am saddened that more adults aren’t asking more questions. If childlike wonder is indicative of the number of questions asked, adults’ sense of wonder dissipates so drastically as we age.

    Although children look to adults as teachers, wrote Regan Olsson, we often don’t consider what kids could be teaching us.

    Olsson interviewed Kristine Gotto, Ph.D., Psychologist at the University Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. She shared that one life lesson we can learn from kids is to be curious and excited. Being inquisitive is how children learn, as they aren’t burdened with worry or hindered by what others think.

    We can watch kids take risks and be fearless. We can also learn to do it ourselves. Although it may be hard, we can grow a little each day, said Dr. Gotto, adding, life is about learning. If we are willing to be humble, we can learn from what kids can offer us.

    As I mentioned, the average adult may ask six questions a day. There are others who depend on asking questions to improve life, innovate, and become more creative. I have learned that as important as it is to ask questions, it is just as important to the learn the art of asking questions.

    Journalist and author Warren Berger was interviewed in “The Art of Asking Questions,” an educational video on Big Think’s YouTube page. Berger stated it sounds counterintuitive, but questions are becoming more important than answers. The ideas of questions become more important than questions are embraced by Silicon Valley, and other centers of innovation.

    Berger has done his own research. He found at the root and origination of many innovations, there is a great question. Questioning allows us to organize our thinking around what we don’t know.

    “We have so much knowledge, information, and answers at our fingertips,” said Berger. He added it is just as important to ask the right questions as it can help us know what to do with this information.

    As a child, we ask many naïve questions, but as we get older, we learn when it is appropriate to ask questions, and what questions may be considered appropriate in a social setting, states Jonathan Keats, philosopher and author of You Belong to the Universe.

    Keats said to ask a naïve question.  Even if it is in our mind, ask that sort of question. We can let it play out, that process in our minds until it “is more concrete and actionable in an adult responsible way.”

    Questions are a survival skill for all of us, stated Berger.

    Berger has spent a lot of time doing his own research. He discovered that, “In schools, we really value the answers and there is almost no value placed on asking a good question.” Presently, teachers are stretched and stressed to teaching to the test, there is little time for students’ questions that do not relate to the curriculum.  He has is now seeing schools and teachers are addressing the importance of asking questions and trying to deal how schools value asking a good question.  

    Ask dumb questions, said Tim Ferris, investor and author of Tools of the Titans. There is power in the absurd question. Journaling is very important. Ferris said he writes down a question each day, then he writes three to five journal pages answering that question. As you journal, you can come up with interesting ideas. Although ninety percent of what you write in your journal may turn out to be garbage, that other ten percent could lead you in an interesting direction that can revolutionize your business or life.

    Our world and culture are governed by shame and political correctness, commented Ferriss. He has noticed that more and more people are not speaking their minds or asking questions, due to shame and embarrassment. Override the embarrassment of asking that dumb question, and just ask it, said Ferris.

    Perhaps that dumb question that is in your mind, if asked may turn out to be the smartest question because you were the only one who dared to ask it replied Ferris.

    Adults should ask more questions than they do. Curiosity is healthy. Asking lots of questions is healthy. Both spur development and growth, wrote David Benjamin and David Komlos, former contributors to Forbes.com.

    Are you asking questions? I encourage you to be fearless, take risks, ask that question that is on your mind.

    Resources:

    Big Think “The Art of asking the right questions.” Retrieved on 1/10/2025 from the art of asking the right questions | Tim Ferriss, Warren Berger, Hope Jahren & more | Big Think

    Benjamin, David and David Komlos. “Has Your Organization Stopped Asking Questions.” Forbes.com September 26,2022. Retrieved on 1/10/2025 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminkomlos/2022/09/26/has-your-organization-stopped-asking-questions/

    Olsson, Regan, contributing writer. “Four Life Lessons We Can Learn from Kids.” May 19, 2021, Banner Health. Retrieved on 1/10/2025 from https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/advise-me/four-life-lessons-we-can-learn-from-kids

  • A Maverick of Experimental Psychology

    January 9, 2025

    Did you know that there are several types of curiosity held by humans? Neither did I.

    As a curious person who often jumps down internet “rabbit holes,” my exploration led me to various articles on curiosity. My exploration landed on Daniel Berlyne. Berlyne was a leading 20th century world renowned experimental psychologist. In the 1950’s, Berlyne was one of the first psychologists to offer a comprehensive model of curiosity.

    According to an article “The Five Dimensions of Curiosity,” psychologists have compiled a large body of research on curiosity and its benefits. Since the 1950s, psychologists have offered up competing theories about what makes a person curious. One of the leading minds was Berlyne.

    Berlyne noted that curiosity is a primary driver of exploration. Berlyne was the first to offer a comprehensive model of curiosity. He concluded that diversive curiosity occurs when a bored person searches for something-anything-to boost arousal. There is also specific curiosity that happens when a hyper-stimulated person tries to understand what’s happening in order to reduce arousal to a more managed level.

    Berlyne was a British and Canadian psychologist, born in Britain in April 1924. Berlyne graduated from Cambridge University with a B.A. in 1947, and an M.A. in 1949. Berlyne first worked in academics at St. Andrews University in Scotland. In 1951, Berlyne left Scotland to pursue his Ph.D. at Yale University in the United States. During his career, Berlyne worked at several universities in Canada and the United States. He specialized in the field of experimental and exploratory psychology.

    He wrote or co-authored seven books and 150 journal articles and book chapters. He was honored as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Fellow of the British Psychological association, and lectured at universities on four different continents. He served as President of the Canadian Psychological Association from 1971-72. Those are just a few of the honors that Berlyne earned.

    Berlyne made considerable amount time to the study of curiosity. He wanted to know why various species displayed curiosity, and what motivates them to explore their environments. According to the American Journal of Psychology, Berlyne’s most important single work was in his 1960 book, Conflict, Arousal and Curiosity. This book was the “tour de force” and influenced so many in the fields of psychology. Berlyn’s view was ahead of his time.

    Writers John J. Furedy and Christine Furedy characterized Berlyne as a maverick, because of his independence of thought and research methods he utilized. Based on interview material and other resources, the Furedys collected and studied, they concluded that Berlyne was extremely interested in ideas for their own sakes. Berlyne’s independent trait showed up in his teaching as well. Much of the content of the post-doctoral students’ work is related to what Berlyne was concerned about at the time. Yet, there was little similarity in form of thought or methods among his students. Berlyne spent considerable time and energy teaching his peers and students how to do research. Berlyne marched to his own drumbeat. Berlyne died young at the age of fifty-two in 1976 after a prolonged illness and many operations. Berlyne’s research lives on and has influenced many other generations interested in his work.

    Resources:

    American Journal of Psychology, March 1978, Vol. 91, no.1, pp 133-137

    Hayden, Benjamin, and Celeste Kidd. “The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity.” Retrieved on 1/2/2025 from

    Furedy, John J. and Christine P Furedy, “Daniel Berlyne and psychonomy; the bear of a different drum.” Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1979. 13 (4), 203-205.

    Kashdan, Todd B, David J. Disaboto, Fallon R Goodman, and Carl Naughton. “The Five Dimensions of Curiosity.” Harvard Business Review. September-October 2018 *(the magazine) https://hbr.org/2018/09/the-five-dimensions-of-curiosity retrieved on 1/3/2025.

    British Psychologist Daniel Berlyne

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    What is Creativity?
    
			
    

    1/5/2025
    




    That is a loaded question, indeed. The Oxford Dictionary defines creativity as the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. Whereas, writer Dattopant Thengadi from the Indian government’s website CBWE, defined creativity as a characteristic of a person to generate new ideas, alternatives, solutions, and possibilities in a unique and different way.
    




    These were just some of the definitions of creativity. One of the definitions that I like and relate to the most I found on the Quora forum. Creativity is the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas, products, or solutions. It involves combining existing knowledge and experiences in new and unexpected ways to create something original and useful, wrote freelancer Rajan Varghese.
    




    Varghese added that the most creative thing that a human can do is subjective and depends on individual perspective and experiences. Creativity allows individuals to express themselves. Individual creativity can make a positive impact on the world.
    




    How would you define creativity?
    




    BasicArts writer Alex Smith defined creativity as the ability to shepherd something into existence, manage its growth, allow it to become vibrant, and nurture it. Whereas, imagination is the ability to picture something that doesn’t exist. More often than not, if a person says they are not creative, they actually mean, they are not imaginative. They cannot come up with something at random.
    




    The late Sir Ken Robinson described creativity as a process of having an original ideas that have value. Creativity is not random. Creativity is putting imagination to work, and it has produced the most extraordinary results in our human culture.
    




    “The human mind is profoundly and uniquely creative and it all begins with imagination,” wrote Robinson from his book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative.
    




    During Robinson’s life, he made it his mission to transform education and organizations by a richer conception of human creativity and intelligence.
    




    Robinson wrote, there are misconceptions about creativity. Here are a few:
    




      

    1. Only special people are creative. This is not true. People have varying levels of creativity in different fields. If you are human, you have the power of being creative; yet you may not have developed that power fully.
      2. 




    2. Creativity is about special things, i.e. the arts. Often people may say that they are not creative, it may mean that they are not artistic or musical. Robinson reported that you can be creative if you are a mathematician, software developer or business leader. Human intelligence is a possible site of original thinking. Rather than, asking are you creative? Ask how are you creative?
      3. 




    3. The third misconception is you are creative or you are not. That is the end of that. Robinson disagreed with this conception. There is a lot you can do to become more creative. I will touch on that in a future blog post.
      4. 

    




    In Robinson’s TED talk, “How Schools Kill Creativity.” Robinson stated “we are educating people of out of their creative capacities…I believe this passionately, that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it.”
    




    Our current educational system and culture’s impact on our creativity as children and adults is a topic of its own that I’ll delve into in another blog post.
    




    I will end this blog by asking, What makes you creative?
    




    Resources:
    




    Robinson, Ken. Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. 2017. Capstone
    




    Smith, Alex “The crucial difference between imagination and creativity”. Basic Arts website. https://basicarts.org/the-crucial-difference-between-imagination-and-creativity/ retrieved on 1/3/2025.
    




    Thengadi, Dattoapnt, National Board for Workers Education and Development, Government of India. https://dtnbwed.cbwe.gov.in/images/upload/Creativity-and-Innovation_YYB3.pdf (retrieved on 1/3/2025)
    




    Varghese, Rajan, freelancer/poster on the Quora forum https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-definition-of-creativity-What-is-the-most-creative-thing-that-a-human-can-do. Retrieved on 1/3/2025.
    




    “Foundation of Creativity” Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. https://dpi.wi.gov/fine-arts/foundations-creativity retrieved on 1/3/2025.
    




    




    




    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Curiosity is A Vital Cognitive Tool, Nurture it.
    
			
    

    January 1, 2025
    




    Curiosity is more than a mere desire to know. It is a vital cognitive tool that shapes how our brain functions, learns, and adapts, wrote Matt Murrie, “The Impact of Curiosity on Brain Function: Exploring Cognitive Benefits,” (Whatifcuriosity.com)
    




    Psychologists Celeste Kidd and Benjamin Y Hayden have determined that curiosity is crucial to healthy development. Additionally, despite its pervasiveness, psychologists and social scientists have not agreed upon what curiosity is. Although there have been various barriers to defining curiosity over the last century, interest in studying curiosity has grown steadily among modern neuroscientists and psychologists.
    




    American Philosopher and Psychologist William James called curiosity an impulse towards better cognition. James summarized curiosity as a desire to understand what is known but not yet understood. Curiosity is a tool for increasing knowledge, a powerful motivator, and an innate human behavior.
    




    Although curiosity is a basic element of our cognition, its biological function, mechanisms, and neural underpinning remains poorly understood.
    




    According to writer Jeremy Schwartz, “How Curiosity Changes Your Brain,” we are born naturally curious. He adds curiosity is a desire to know more, be aware, our sense of curiosity can lessen over time.
    




    According to Psychologs, an Indian mental health online magazine, not everyone experiences curiosity in the same way. Educational and early childhood experience play a crucial role in nurturing or suppressing natural curiosity. Though it is thought that children are famously curious, healthy adults can maintain high level of curiosity throughout life. The focus may shift from a broad exploration to deeper, more specific interests.
    




    As our brains continue to grow and change throughout our lives, it changes the structure of our brains. Learning to think differently has longstanding effects on our brains, wrote Schwartz.
    




    As a thought enters our brain, neurons fire. As we learn and experience emotion, new neural paths are created and portions of our brain become larger. You can indeed change your brain with one action at a time, wrote Schwartz.
    




    According to Psychologs magazine, per an evolutionary perspective, curiosity provided our ancestors with significant survival advantages. A desire to learn about their environments helped our ancestors to identify dangers and opportunities.
    




    Interestingly, modern neuroscience has revealed new insights into how curiosity operates in the brain. When we encounter novel or puzzling information, it triggers our curiosity. That then releases dopamine involved with eating, sex, and other pleasurable activities. From that point, curiosity primes our brains for learning. The hippocampus, which is crucial for memory formation, becomes more active when we are curious. Indeed, research has shown that curiosity is a vital cognitive tool for growth.
    




    Resources:
    




    https://www.whatifcuriosity.com/post/the-impact-of-curiosity-on-brain-function-exploring-cognitive-benefits
    




    The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4635443/Retrieved on 12/29/2024.
    




    “How Curiosity Changes Your Brain” by Jeremy Schwartz, August 4, 2017. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4635443/ retrieved on 12/29/2024.
    




    “The Psychology of Neuroscience of Curiosity” by Psychologs Magazine. November 27, 2024. https://www.psychologs.com/the-psychology-and-neuroscience-of-curiosity/Retrieved on 12/29/2024. Psychologs is India’s first mental health magazine.