Is Curiosity an Emotion?
Have you ever had that sudden lightning struck of curiosity?
And that level of curiosity didn’t just start and end in your mind.
But it started in your mind & permeated to your body.
Is curiosity an emotion?
I have always wondered that.
There are a few parts of the human that is ingrained.
2 being imagination and emotion.
No one ever taught us how to imagine, we were just born imagining.
Also, no one ever taught how to feel emotions, we were just born feeling.
So it’s normal to ask if curiosity is ingrained.
And whether or not it factors as an emotion.
This site is all about communication skills.
And you’ll learn that curiosity plays a major role in terms of becoming a better communicator.
Whether you are learning to be a more knowledgable person or trying your BEST to listen to your conversation partner…
Curiosity plays a role.
So let us explore this topic in more detail.
Is Curiosity Primal?
Curiosity is a strong desire to know something.
Something is considered primal when it is considered fundamental.
Does curiosity fall into this boat?
Well, let’s answer this question by studying a child.
How does a young child who is still learning, operate?
If you observe this child, you’ll notice they are VERY curious.
They are always tinkering.
Asking big questions.
And trying to fit together some figurative puzzle.
No matter which part of the world you are in, you will see the same effects.
From the Western to the Eastern world, kids have the fundamental characteristic of curiosity.
So yes, there seems to be a strong likelihood that curiosity is primal.
Good & Bad Curiosity
Duality, my friend.
Whenever there is something good, understand that there is a bad version lurking around.
Curiosity is no different.
Earlier, I stated that curiosity is primal.
Therefore, it is something that will need to be used one way or another.
Question is, which direction are you aiming your curiosity?
Is it pointing towards a constructive or destructive direction?
Constructive curiosity is the type of curiosity that helps you grow.
This requires a purpose that you are leveling up towards.
You have a north star that you are chasing and your curiosities form around that north star to help you chase the right answers.
Destructive curiosity is the type of curiosity that does nothing meaningful for your life.
This typically happens when you are void of a north star.
You just wing life.
Winging life will have you getting curious about all the wrong things.
Gossip, scandals, other people’s opinions etc.
This will make your life feel like a living hell.
Is Curiosity and Emotion?
Emotion is defined as:
Arousing or characterized by intense feeling.
So, is curiosity an emotion?
I do believe curiosity fits a part of that definition, but not the full picture.
Yes, curiosity often does have an intense feeling, but what sparks that feeling in the first place?
If you ask me, then we need to trace back to the core of a human, once again.
I said earlier 2 core components of a human are emotions and imagination.
Well, it seems like curiosity is a bridge between those 2 primal elements.
Think about the last time you were VERY curious.
Not just a ‘yea, it’ll be cool to know.’
I mean a ‘I HAVE to right now because I can’t focus on anything else.’
Yes, that sort of curiosity.
If you trace that curiosity back, you’ll notice it stemmed from a thought.
That thought was painted with tones of imagination.
The scale of the imaginative experience will lead to the degree of curiosity as well.
‘So, curiosity is the bridge between imagination and emotions?’
Yessir.
‘And how does this apply to me?’
Excellent question.
How To Correctly Be Curious
We are taught a lot of things in school.
But a big part of the real world is reconnecting with the basics.
The basics which make us who we are.
Unfortunately, we aren’t how to rediscover these elements.
We are just expected to figure it out.
‘Is there anything to look out for when it comes down to curiosity?’
I personally have a few points.
Let me share them & you can see which parts apply to your life.
1. Don’t TRY to be curious, just let it happen
What I’ve noticed is that I get curious about topics that help me level up, when I just flow.
Flowing is much better than treating curiosity like homework.
‘How can I flow?’
One of the best ways to flow is by having fun.
‘Fun?? Come on bro. Give me practical tips.’
That’s the practical part, my friend.
Is curiosity an emotion? No.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t follow your pleasant emotions.
When you are having fun, your mind tends to follow your natural curiosities.
It seems as though unleashing your childlike spirit is what unleashes the engine.
So find activities that you enjoy.
Just a hint.
A lot of great curiosities lie behind your hobbies.
2. Don’t Rule off a Silly Curiosity
I’ll be real.
A few years ago, I got super curious about remote control cars.
No clue why.
But I started to watch a few videos of people making these remote control cars.
Over and over again.
After a few days, I had a light bulb moment.
‘You were going to make a remote control car as well??’
No.
But watching the cars being taught me a lot about electrical circuits.
This allowed me to solve a HUGE problem for my senior design project for engineering.
What started off as a silly act, served as a missing puzzle piece.
3. Leverage the Internet
The problem that many of us have is that we go searching for mentors too quickly.
We have a curiosity and automatically go asking for advice.
A lot of times their answers may help.
But this can rob you of the full curious experience.
Let me do you a favor.
Treat Google like your mentor.
You can virtually find any article or video on search engines nowadays.
As your curiosity regarding the topic is at the infantile stages, do some research on questions that you have.
Even if it seems silly, type it down in the search engines.
You’ll notice yourself asking questions that others have been pondering about as well.
See how far those answers take you.
Curiosity is the LifeBlood of Creativity
All in all, I don’t view curiosity to be an emotion.
But I do think they have a lot of strong ties with one another.
In my eyes, when we see curiosity, we see the bridge between the mind & heart.
Your curiosity is something that should serve as the compass for your life.
You’ll be surprised how often it leads you to the answer that you were seeking.
In today’s digital age, there is information about virtually any topic out there.
You are living in the golden era of curiosity.
Follow where your internal compass takes you.
Be bold, ask yourself tough questions & allow your mind to expand.
Curiosity is the lifeblood of creativity.
Now begin to maximize it.
For more practical communication insights, subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
– ArmaniTalks 
One Comment
A friend believes there are three emotions people lead with. These impact communication. Sadness, control, and anxiety and yet when I look at how I lead over the years underlying for me is the question, “I wonder what is my activating event,” and “What am I feeling?”. I’d add fear as a fourth leading emotion and yet is fear an version of anxiety?
Thank you.