"Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older. Those who do so tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. So why are many of us allowing our curiosity to wane? In Curious, Ian Leslie makes a passionate case for the cultivation of our "desire to know." Just when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood, undervalued, and increasingly monopolized by a cognitive elite. A "curiosity divide" is opening up. This divide is being exacerbated by the way we use the Internet. Thanks to smartphones and tools such as Google and Wikipedia, we can answer almost any question instantly. But does this easy access to information guarantee the growth of curiosity? No - quite the opposite. Leslie argues that true curiosity the sustained quest for understanding that begets insight and innovation - is in fact at risk in a wired world. Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, economics, education, and business, Curious looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it, and finds surprising answers. Curiosity isn't, as we're encouraged to think, a gift that keeps on giving. It is a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise and a habit that parents, schools, and workplaces need to nurture. Filled with inspiring stories, case studies, and practical advice, Curious will change the way you think about your own mental habits, and those of your family, friends, and colleagues."--Publisher. "I have no special talents,” said Albert Einstein. “I am only passionately curious.” in Curious, Ian Leslie makes the case for cultivating our “desire to know.” Curious people tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. But at the very moment when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood and undervalued, and increasingly practiced only by the cognitive elite. Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, sociology, and business, Leslie looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it, and uncovers surprising answers. Curiosity isn't a quality you can rely on to last a lifetime, but a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise. It's not a gift, but a habit that parents, schools, workplaces, and individuals need to nurture if it is to thrive. Filled with inspiring stories, case studies, and practical advice, curious will change the way you think about your own mental life comma and that of those around you. -- Back cover of paperback.

Hardcover originally published in 2014 by Basic Books.

Introduction: the fourth drive -- Part one: how curiosity works. 1. Three journeys -- 2. How curiosity begins -- 3. Puzzles and mysteries -- Part two: the curiosity divide. 4. Three ages of curiosity -- 5. The curiosity dividend -- 6. The power of questions -- 7. The importance of knowing -- Part three: staying curious. 8. Seven ways to stay curious. Stay foolish ; Build the database ; Forage like a foxhog ; Ask the big why ; Be a thinkerer ; Question your teaspoons ; Turn puzzles into mysteries -- Afterword: Bjarni -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.