Does Your Sustained Proclivity for Curiosity about Our World Predict Longevity for You?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Friends,

 

Let me make this short.

 

I have often wondered whether or not curiosity about the world might either add to or subtract from the number of years we enjoy before inevitably heading off into the Land of Nod, by which I mean this land of nothingness that some call the afterlife. 

 

For example, how many additional years to your life might this curious and priceless trait of being curious afford you?  

 

My guess is that this trait of curiosity is very much undervalued in today’s world.  And, maybe this is why people today settle for less.

 

Curiosity contributes much to our wellbeing.

 

Not all of us are fortunate enough to be blessed with an overpowering and everlasting curiosity about Everything.

 

Just wondering:

 

 How curious are you?

 How has your tendency towards almost constant curiosity improved your life?

 On the day you die, will you continue to be curious about what happens next?

 

I am a very curious fellow, and I would not choose to be otherwise.

 

Unfortunately, there are those who seem to exhibit very little curiosity about almost anything. I feel sorry for those fellows.

 

How curious are you?

 

Are you proud to be a person of great curiosity?

 

Genius, as you know, derives, at least partially, from a strong sense of curiosity about all things.

 

The more curious the lab rat, the quicker the rat masters running the maze.

 

Cats are known for being curious.

And, it is a myth that cats have nine lives.

 

Without curiosity, Newton would never have created his telescope with an objective mirror made of tin and copper. Now we use glass.

 

Newton lived a good and long life.

His curiosity should be a lesson to us all.

 

I have built a few telescopes, but I never finished grinding the mirrors. I probably had too much curiosity and not enough persistence.

 

What about your curiosity about life?

How has your sense of curiosity enhanced your life from one of humdrum existence to something more?

 

Will you live beyond your years, as a result of your curiosity?

 

You probably would not even be here in Thailand if you were not so curious.

 

Regards,

 

GammaG

[OneMoreFarang]

I don't think about useless things. That's the way to avoid headache. And that makes my lives likely longer.

[Bluespunk]

No. 

[Baron Samedi]

Curiosity surely keeps your brain active which is a good thing for your health.

That being said, too much curiosity might result in you taking more risks.

 

At some point in my life, I had 2 cats. One was extremely curious, the other one was always afraid of everything. The curious one ended up venturing in a fox hole and got killed, the scared one is still alive today.

 

The right dose of curiosity enriches you. Too much or not enough of it will be detrimental to you in some way. It's the same for almost every human trait.

[ChristianBlessing]

I'm curious about the meaning of "let me make this short".

[GammaGlobulin]

3 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

Curiosity surely keeps your brain active which is a good thing for your health.

That being said, too much curiosity might result in you taking more risks.

 

At some point in my life, I had 2 cats. One was extremely curious, the other one was always afraid of everything. The curious one ended up venturing in a fox hole and got killed, the scared one is still alive today.

 

The right dose of curiosity enriches you. Too much or not enough of it will be detrimental to you in some way. It's the same for almost every human trait.

You may not appreciate this, however I am impressed and thankful to read your more nuanced response to this topic.

 

In your cat's case, too much curiosity was a killer.

 

Which reminds me of Lee Marvin in the film, "The Killers".

 

The Killers is a film to die for, and Marvin said that it was his favorite film.

 

Not to mention, John Cassavetes and Angie Dickenson, both of whom are great stars.

 

And now, you got me going...just thinking of Gena Rowlands.

 

To sum up:

 

There are very few stars in Hollywood, these days, who can measure up to Cassavetes and Rowlands.

 

Also, if one were to compare Science to Hollywood, then one would be Galileo, and the other would be Galilei.

 

Curiosity is truly the only reason we are here.

And, creativity goes hand-in-hand with curiosity.

 

I just wish I were young enough to see all these great films, one more time, and for the very first time.

 

Being old is not all that it's cracked up to be.

 

JS Bach is something that you can listen to, over and over, and it only gets better the more you listen.

 

However, Hollywood and Bollywood films, except for a very few films, become as appetizing as the night-before leftover pizza, when one tries to view them a second time.

 

We are always seeking something new.

 

This is our quest.

 

We are never satisfied.

 

And this sense of curiosity, and always the drive to seek out something newer and bigger, will be mankind's ultimate downfall, and will, inevitably lead to the end of organized human civilization, as we now know it.

 

This is all according to Chomsky, and other thinkers.

 

Chomsky has too much intelligence for his own good.

Just a trait he has too much of, as you say.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Concerning epistemic curiosity, I just wonder how many know much about this.

 

My guess is that quite a few of us know more than we are telling.

 

I would say that there are just too many here who hide their lights under their baskets.

 

This forum is a funny thing.

 

People try to play dumb, just for the fun of it.

 

There is no doubt that the average IQ on this forum is about 115.

 

Meaning that there are some lurkers here with a very high IQ.

 

However, I know of one who states he has a high IQ who, in fact, does not.

 

He just slides by on his high emotional IQ.

 

The traits of high curiosity and higher intelligence scores seem to be correlated.

 

But, you can't compare a curious cat with a curious human, and then infer that curious humans are more likely to die as a result of their curiosity, as might a curious cat.

 

Because, as was stated in the topic, or implied, the topic is mostly about epistemic curiosity, and not about the curiosity of the average house cat.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Strange as it may be, I never upload a topic here before I have fully researched it.

 

In this case, and in consideration of this topic, there are many well-documented scholarly research papers which discuss the correlation and interconnection between curiosity, longevity, and wellbeing.

 

Some might dispute conclusions stating there is any positive correlation between curiosity and longevity.  However, there is very little evidence to support the contrary view.

 

For one thing, we know that higher IQ scores, and higher cognitive function, helps to stave off dementia.

 

And, we think that we know that higher proclivity for sustained curiosity throughout life correlates well with higher intelligence.

 

However, we also know that, while a much higher IQ score can delay onset of dementia, still, once dementia sets in, then the onset of dementia seems to happen very rapidly.

 

In conclusion:

 

a. It is better to be curious and more open to new ideas and more liberal in one's thinking, and more cognitively adaptable.

b. Liberal thinkers are just more fun.

c. If you wish to live longer, and wish to remain lucid longer, then be more playful in your thinking. 

 

Always be playful in thought and spirit.

If maintaining a playful slant throughout your life also means succumbing to sporadic impishness, when conditions allow, then so be it.

 

Never be a scrooge.

Because, you might live out your life without ever being rescued, unlike the fortunate Scrooge.

 

When you get to the point that you no longer feel the need to know something new, then you are doomed.

 

What is beyond what we cannot yet see?

 

Does Cosmology do nothing for you?

 

Or, are you the type that prefers the study and application of Cosmetology?

 

I will never wear lipstick and rouge 

Barry Lyndon is a great film.

The best music in the film, Barry Lyndon, is this...

 

 

 

 

 

[Gecko123]

Everyone is born curious so the question that has always interested me is why some people lose their curiosity.

 

I think it's for several main reasons: (1) fear of failure; (2) fear of what they may find, and (3) fear of what others may think about them for having an interest in a given subject.

 

People worry about what will happen if they don't succeed in learning what they are curious or interested in. If they find they are unable to learn a subject they fear this  may damage their self-esteem further.

 

There are many taboo subjects that are very scary for people to explore, i.e., human sexuality, psychology, and criminality, etc.

 

People are also inhibited by what others will think about them for having an interest in a topic. This is a biggie. Examples are boys wanting to be pastry chefs and girls wanting to be car mechanics.

 

When you become overly focused on what others think and become lost in comparing yourself to others this activity can become so preoccupying and all-consuming that you simply lack the time and energy to explore new things.

 

One of the most liberating moments of my life came when I was checking out a book at my local library, and the librarian cocked an eyebrow when she saw the title. I felt self-conscious as I walked home until it occurred to me that if someone thought it was weird that I wanted to read a book, what about the person who wrote the book? Go have a talk with them and leave me alone, and ever since then I've ignored anyone trying to make me feel weird about being interested in something. My deathbed message to the world would be to never let anyone tell you you shouldn't be interested in something.

 

 

[Walker88]

I'm forever curious and hope it never stops. My father often tells me that is the secret to life. It it extends my life, great, as that means I can pursue more interests.

 

As a kid I used to have get on the bike and ride to the library, pour through the cards, then go see if the book I wanted was on the shelf or out on loan. I always found something new to get me on the bike and to the library.

 

It's so much easier today, but I fear too many people waste their existence watching TikTok instead of, for example, looking at the latest images from the Webb, following new discoveries at CERN, seeing how russia is getting its butt kicked in Ukraine, pursuing another pilot rating, collecting amber from northern Burma that has lots of entrapped bugs (some are fakes, some not...and a Japanese university tested some of it and found it to be older than the dinosaurs), finding more obscure JS Bach works (as the OP notes), or picking up the guitar and trying to learn everything from SL Weiss' Passacaglia to Duane Allman's Little Martha. The range and scope of things to do and learn is endless.

 

Of course we each decide how to spend this brief existence, and for some people, there might be meaning watching endless banal TikTok vids or sitting on a barstool every day from noon to pass-out discussing sports or politics or nubile women with their equally obese mates, They can all knock themselves silly, per their choice. Nobody gets a prize anyway, except death. (By the way, TikTok is for people without talent to produce content for people without taste. Yes, that's arrogant. Sue me. Oh, and it's also a disinformation and influence tool of the commie chinese).

 

Eventually we'll all be in the box or the urn, everything we ever did no longer of any meaning as the Universe goes on without our consciousness, but before entropy wins, what the heck. There is always something interesting to do or learn.

[1FinickyOne]

what happens when one is curious about the universe AND the afterlife?

[Sparktrader]

11 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't think about useless things. That's the way to avoid headache. And that makes my lives likely longer.

The op does

[GammaGlobulin]

Just an example of my/your curiosity about life:

 

a.  Why do most household fans in Thailand rotate in the same direction?  Why can't we have some fans going one way, and other fans going the other way?  Is there a logical reason?

 

b.  Why is it that when I am in the Northern hemisphere the water going down the drain spins in one direction, clockwise, while in the Southern hemisphere, the water disappears down the drain with an anti-clockwise rotation?

 

c.  Why do some people say "counterclockwise", while others, in the UK, say "anti-clockwise"?

 

If you want to get smart, then try to be like your two-year-old self.  Always ask why.

No question is too ridiculous for you.

 

Never be afraid to ask anything.

 

And, encourage your teachers to be more in tune with the Socratic Method of teaching.

 

And,  what is a Greek chorus?

 

 

Always ask why.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

53 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

what happens when one is curious about the universe AND the afterlife?

In this case of special relativity, one becomes like Isaac Newton.

 

One believes in the universe, and one also believes in God.

 

It is not unheard of for a logical mind to embrace two beliefs which are mutually incompatible.

 

This is called Blind Faith.

 

Blind Faith is something you might know about.

 

 

 

[Sparktrader]

Im planning my next trip

 

You are wondering about intangibles

 

Up to you

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Im planning my next trip

 

You are wondering about intangibles

 

Up to you

Timothy Leary?

[Sparktrader]

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Timothy Leary?

Tiny Tim?

[Lacessit]

I have always asked questions, which got me into trouble as a kid with teachers. Later, it became an asset in my chosen career.

In retirement, I feel it is important to remain mentally active. Reading books, listening to music, playing solitaire, driving my scooter in Thai traffic, writing my autobiography, making videos for YouTube as a creative process. I keep up with world affairs.

The Romans had an expression, "mens sana in corpore sano." A healthy mind in a healthy body. So I pay attention to my physical fitness as well.

I even get some mental stimulation from some posters on ASEAN, in trying to come up with invective and phrasing that stays within forum rules. There are others with whom I enjoy a civilized discourse.

I have no idea whether this will prolong my life; however, it will make the rest of it more interesting.

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Tiny Tim?

Forever planning his next trip.

As you said.

[Sparktrader]

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Forever planning his next trip.

As you said.

https://youtu.be/pt5mrpRTC3A

[GammaGlobulin]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I have always asked questions, which got me into trouble as a kid with teachers. Later, it became an asset in my chosen career.

In retirement, I feel it is important to remain mentally active. Reading books, listening to music, playing solitaire, driving my scooter in Thai traffic, writing my autobiography, making videos for YouTube as a creative process. I keep up with world affairs.

The Romans had an expression, "mens sana in corpore sano." A healthy mind in a healthy body. So I pay attention to my physical fitness as well.

I even get some mental stimulation from some posters on ASEAN, in trying to come up with invective and phrasing that stays within forum rules. There are others with whom I enjoy a civilized discourse.

I have no idea whether this will prolong my life; however, it will make the rest of it more interesting.

Never mind what others might say.

 

But what do you think Maslow might think of you?

 

Just out of curiosity, what music do you favor?

Country?

Rock?

Blues?

Jazz?

 

Or, do you dig the Shostakovich Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar?

 

You are old enough to know about Babi Yar?

 

Does your curiosity extend that far?

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Never mind what others might say.

 

But what do you think Maslow might think of you?

 

Just out of curiosity, what music do you favor?

Country?

Rock?

Blues?

Jazz?

 

Or, do you dig the Shostakovich Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar?

 

You are old enough to know about Babi Yar?

 

Does your curiosity extend that far?

 

 

 

I guess Maslow might use me as a case study.

 

All of them, plus the classical composers. Currently revisiting the BeeGees.

 

Yes, I know of the Babi Yar massacre.

 

Russia has always fascinated me, the biggest country in the world, rich in resources, yet impoverished by a succession of abysmal leaders. Strange, because it has produced musical, dance and literary giants. Here's one of them:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krzSqRCvzb8

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

I guess Maslow might use me as a case study.

 

All of them, plus the classical composers. Currently revisiting the BeeGees.

 

Yes, I know of the Babi Yar massacre.

 

Russia has always fascinated me, the biggest country in the world, rich in resources, yet impoverished by a succession of abysmal leaders. Strange, because it has produced musical, dance and literary giants. Here's one of them:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krzSqRCvzb8

Sorry, two of them. Did you know Vysotsky had a million Russians attend his funeral?

[GammaGlobulin]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sorry, two of them. Did you know Vysotsky had a million Russians attend his funeral?

This is not strange, at all.

 

As you know, Russians love to stand in line, for almost any reason, especially for either bread or a funeral.

 

Meanwhile, Lenin's body continues to improve with age.

 

Lenin actually looks quite young for his age.

 

 

[Baron Samedi]

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You may not appreciate this, however I am impressed and thankful to read your more nuanced response to this topic.

 

In your cat's case, too much curiosity was a killer.

 

Which reminds me of Lee Marvin in the film, "The Killers".

 

The Killers is a film to die for, and Marvin said that it was his favorite film.

 

Not to mention, John Cassavetes and Angie Dickenson, both of whom are great stars.

 

And now, you got me going...just thinking of Gena Rowlands.

 

To sum up:

 

There are very few stars in Hollywood, these days, who can measure up to Cassavetes and Rowlands.

 

Also, if one were to compare Science to Hollywood, then one would be Galileo, and the other would be Galilei.

 

Curiosity is truly the only reason we are here.

And, creativity goes hand-in-hand with curiosity.

 

I just wish I were young enough to see all these great films, one more time, and for the very first time.

 

Being old is not all that it's cracked up to be.

 

JS Bach is something that you can listen to, over and over, and it only gets better the more you listen.

 

However, Hollywood and Bollywood films, except for a very few films, become as appetizing as the night-before leftover pizza, when one tries to view them a second time.

 

We are always seeking something new.

 

This is our quest.

 

We are never satisfied.

 

And this sense of curiosity, and always the drive to seek out something newer and bigger, will be mankind's ultimate downfall, and will, inevitably lead to the end of organized human civilization, as we now know it.

 

This is all according to Chomsky, and other thinkers.

 

Chomsky has too much intelligence for his own good.

Just a trait he has too much of, as you say.

 

 

I agree with your statement that creativity and curiosity are linked.

However I disagree with the idea that curiosity is the essence of humans.

It would be great but it's not.

Humans are creatures of fear (mortality) and power (immortality).

We ain't wonderful beings. We are trash cans for the most part.

It's not curiosity that is going to destroy use but the relentless quest for more power and more control over everything in order to have the illusion that we are immortal.

 

Btw no need to be old to be bored af by today's movies and TV shows.

They are bad as can be imo.

Why? Wokism, lack of imagination, lack of risk.

Hollywood has been taken hostage by radical left losers ????

[GammaGlobulin]

 

In Asia, I shower in the evenings before bed.

In America, I shower in the mornings before breakfast.

 

In Asia, I have soup after the main course.

In America, we have soup before the main course.

 

Maybe, it might be interesting to wear spectacles that would reverse colors

 

Or, we might wish to mount clocks on walls which would move anti-clockwise.

 

Anyway, I really like to watch the woman in this video riding her bike.

 

Some girls who love to ride bikes have a secret smile while riding.

 

 

[Lacessit]

10 minutes ago, Baron Samedi said:

I agree with your statement that creativity and curiosity are linked.

However I disagree with the idea that curiosity is the essence of humans.

It would be great but it's not.

Humans are creatures of fear (mortality) and power (immortality).

We ain't wonderful beings. We are trash cans for the most part.

It's not curiosity that is going to destroy use but the relentless quest for more power and more control over everything in order to have the illusion that we are immortal.

 

Btw no need to be old to be bored af by today's movies and TV shows.

They are bad as can be imo.

Why? Wokism, lack of imagination, lack of risk.

Hollywood has been taken hostage by radical left losers ????

I assume you are not watching "Breaking Bad", "Justified" or "Banshee".

[Lacessit]

52 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

This is not strange, at all.

 

As you know, Russians love to stand in line, for almost any reason, especially for either bread or a funeral.

 

Meanwhile, Lenin's body continues to improve with age.

 

Lenin actually looks quite young for his age.

 

 

Americans seem to like standing in line too, I remember a trip to Disneyland with my 10 yo son.

Wait half an hour in line for a ride lasting 3 minutes.

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Americans seem to like standing in line too, I remember a trip to Disneyland with my 10 yo son.

Wait half an hour in line for a ride lasting 3 minutes.

At least, this seems to have been a memorable experience for you, obviously. 

 

As you know, the pleasure is in the anticipation of obtaining what one desires. And not in actually obtaining it. 

 

Therefore, the longer the line, the greater the anticipatory pleasure. 

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

36 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

At least, this seems to have been a memorable experience for you, obviously. 

 

As you know, the pleasure is in the anticipation of obtaining what one desires. And not in actually obtaining it. 

 

Therefore, the longer the line, the greater the anticipatory pleasure. 

 

 

 

 

I do prefer experiences that are memorable in the right way, rather than the wrong way. I have had plenty of both.