Curiosity Is Only the Beginning
Curiosity has been in 3M’s DNA since it was founded in 1902. From Scotch masking tape to Post-It Notes, 3Mers have used their curiosity to drive problem-solving for over a century. Over the last 100+ years, 3M and its curious team have been granted over 100,000 patents.
A company built on innovation has to embrace a culture of curiosity and wonder. When you look at the world with an inventor’s eyes you’re bound to discover something. That is exactly what 3M scientist Patsy Sherman did.
Sherman was hired as a research chemist at 3M in 1952. Her work began on fluorochemicals with her co-worker Sam Smith as they were tasked with developing a new form of rubber for jet fuel hoses.
The following year, a lab accident opened Sherman’s eyes to a new use for the fluorochemicals she was working on. A lab assistant dropped a bottle of the chemicals that Sherman made, causing it to splash onto their white shoes.
Then something peculiar happened. While the shoes didn’t look any different, the chemicals couldn’t be washed away by solvents and it repelled both water and oil. Instead of ignoring the lab mishap and writing it off as irrelevant to her goals for jet fuel hoses, Sherman let curiosity be her guide. She realized that these fluorochemicals could be used in other commercial applications.
She continued her research over the next few years, leading to the development of stain repellent and material protector. This product became known as Scotchgard.
Sherman was elected to the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1983 and jointly holds 13 patents related to fluorochemicals.
Curiosity played an essential role in Sherman’s success and she encourages aspiring inventors to embrace curiosity.
“Keep your eyes and mind open, and don’t ignore something that doesn’t come out the way you expect it to. Just keep looking at the world with inventor’s eyes!”
The Benefits of Curiosity
Curiosity is a state wonder: a strong desire to learn and discover more about something. When you are curious you seek out new information and grow as you learn. However, the benefits of curiosity extend beyond simply the acquisition of knowledge.
Learning – When you are curious you open your mind up to learning. If you approach learning with a closed mind or think you already know everything, you won’t be receptive to new ideas.
Curiosity also primes your mind for learning. Curiosity accelerates learning by putting your brain in a state that is conducive to learning. Essentially, curiosity helps you better take in information and ideas around you.
Relationships – Think about a time you met someone and during your conversation they didn’t ask any questions about your life and didn’t express any curiosity about your interests. Probably not someone you’d like to have as a friend. Showing you are curious about other people makes it easier to build close relationships and deeper connections.
Curiosity also strengthens your empathy. By asking questions and trying to better understand the lives of others you’ll be able to better see things from their perspective and worldview. When you find yourself in a group project at work or school, try and put yourself in the shoes of others and wear a perspective broader than your own. Being open and curious about others’ ideas will help you work more effectively as a cohesive group.
Happiness – Curiosity is a cure for boredom. Curious people are generally happier and have lower levels of anxiety. They also experience a greater presence of meaning in their lives and overall life satisfaction. Why? With a curious mind, there is always something new for you to discover and your brain likes novelty.
“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do” – Walt Disney
Performance – A hungry mind can help you achieve more. When you are curious about a topic it is easier to put in the work to learn more. In school, curiosity was linked with higher academic achievement.
Curiosity also helps improve work performance. Behaviors like information seeking and asking coworkers questions improve workplace learning and performance. If you do not know the answer to something at work, you won’t make any progress by sitting around and simply accepting that you don’t know. Finding answers and solving problems is an essential part of any job.
Cultivating Curiosity
Knowing that curiosity is important is only part of the equation. How do you develop curiosity if you do not feel like an innately curious person? Or, if you are a genuinely curious person, what can you do to induce a state of curiosity if you aren’t feeling curious? Here are some examples of how you can cultivate curiosity in your life.
Beginners Mindset – You won’t learn anything new if you think you already know everything. Learning does not stop after school; it is a lifelong endeavor. Think of yourself as a student, eager to learn and not bogged down by preconceived notions of understandings.
When you are a beginner your goal is to simply learn and improve. You don’t know what you don’t know and you are open to new ideas. A growth mindset comes easily to you.
However, over time you acquire more knowledge and experience. Once you start to experience some success you may think there is nothing left for you to learn. You need to resist slipping into this state of complacency. There is always something new to learn.
Diverse Study – Explore different worlds and topics. Read books or articles that aren’t in genres you typically read. Watch a documentary or video series that covers a topic you know nothing about.
Exposing yourself to a variety of materials can spark your curiosity and open your mind to new possibilities and ideas. By seeking out diverse thoughts and perspectives you may make uncommon connections and improve your creative thinking.
Reframe Boring – As soon as you label something as boring you mentally check out and lose all sense of curiosity. If you are tempted to write something off as boring, pause, and think about how you can reframe the situation from boring to meaningful.
You can learn something new from every person you meet and every situation you encounter if you choose to take a curious approach. Look more closely, pay attention to details, and keep an open mind. When you approach life with curiosity instead of disinterest, you’ll always find something new to discover.
Learning Goals – Frame your goals as learning goals instead of performance goals to boost motivation and curiosity. Think of this as acquiring and developing skills vs. achieving a specific objective. Behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor, Francesca Gino explained, “When motivated by learning goals, we acquire more-diverse skills, do better at work, get higher grades in college, do better on problem-solving tasks, and receive higher ratings after training.”
Performance goals have their place, but too much focus on them can decrease your performance. Instead of only worrying about hitting your goal, focus on what skills you can acquire or knowledge you can learn that will help you achieve that goal. Think of it as up-leveling your abilities so you are more well-equipped to rise to the challenge.
Applied Curiosity
Being curious on its own isn’t enough, to take full advantage of your curiosity you need to apply it. The art of curiosity is a valuable skill and tool for discovery once you learn to harness its power. Here are some examples of how you can apply your curiosity.
Asking Questions – You never know where a curious question will lead you. Use these questions, or variations of them, to feed your curiosity.
- What if?
- Why or why not?
- How might we?
- What else?
- What next?
Asking curious questions is often an act of courage and humility. When you ask these questions you essentially say, “I don’t know, but I want to learn.” Admitting that you don’t know something requires courage and dealing with potential feelings of insecurity, but you will be better for it in the long run.
Experimentation – Let curiosity be your guide. Try new things and look for opportunities to get exposure to ideas outside of your current experiences. All innovation and invention are sparked by a curious mind. Experimentation leads to new knowledge and discoveries.
“All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.” – Martin H. Fischer, physiologist and author
Analysis – Use curiosity to guide your examination of something. You can analyze why something happened or how something works. Curiosity encourages you to ask ‘why?’ until you get to the root of the issue.
If you fail a test or get rejected after a job interview, be curious. Analyze the failure to understand what happened so you can adapt and learn from it next time.
Be a Craftsman – To grow in your craft or profession you need to continually advance your skills and abilities. You have to take an active approach to learning. Embrace a growth mindset and use your curiosity to seek out areas where you can improve. Internalize the beginner’s mindset and never stop looking for ways to elevate your craft.
Curiosity will serve you your entire life if you choose to follow it. You never know where your curiosity may take you.
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious … and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
What will you be curious about?