Curiosity facts for kids
Curiosity (from Latin curiosus "careful, diligent, curious," akin to cura "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.
The term "curiosity" can also be used to denote the behavior or emotion of being curious, in regards to the desire to gain knowledge or information. Curiosity as a behavior and emotion is attributed over millennia as the driving force behind not only human development, but developments in science, language, and industry.
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Causes
Curiosity can be seen as a quality of many different species. It is common to human beings at all ages from infancy through adulthood, and is easy to observe in many other animal species; these include apes, cats, and rodents. Early definitions cite curiosity as a motivated desire for information. This motivational desire has been said to stem from a passion or an appetite for knowledge, information, and understanding.
Theories
Curiosity is linked with exploratory behavior and experiences of reward. Curiosity can be described as positive emotions and acquiring knowledge; when one’s curiosity has been aroused it is considered inherently rewarding and pleasurable. Discovering new information may also be rewarding because it can help reduce undesirable states of uncertainty.
A morbid curiosity is an addictive curiosity with death, violence, or something else that may hurt you physically or emotionally.
Images for kids
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Left: normal brain. Right: AD afflicted brain. Severe degeneration of areas implicated in curiosity
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A crowd mills around the site of a car accident in Czechoslovakia in 1980.
See also
In Spanish: Curiosidad para niños
