There is something in common with most of the breakthrough discoveries and notable inventions throughout history: they are the product of curiosity. Without curiosity, the laws of physics may never have been developed by Sir Isaac Newton, Alexander Fleming possibly would not have discovered penicillin, and pioneering radioactivity studies by Marie Curie would not exist. A fundamental human trait is the impulse to discover new knowledge and experiences and explore novel possibilities. The ability to learn and discover new things, and to find out how they work, is curiosity. The more curious we are about a topic, the easier it is to learn details about that subject.

Curious individuals often ask questions and check their minds for answers. Their minds are involved all the time. Since the mind is like a muscle that through continuous exercise becomes stronger, the mental exercise generated by curiosity makes our mind stronger and stronger.

Our mind expects and anticipates new ideas linked to it while we are curious about something. They will soon be remembered when the ideas arrive. The ideas may move right in front of us without curiosity, and yet we miss them because our mind is not prepared to recognise them.

By being curious, we can see new worlds and possibilities that are not typically available. They are concealed behind the surface of everyday existence, and to look underneath the surface and explore these new worlds and possibilities requires a curious mind.

Andrew, a University of California researcher, recently performed a series of studies to find out just what happens in the brain when our interest is aroused. These experiments showed insights into how memory is influenced by a source of intrinsic motivation – curiosity. The team discovered that there was increased activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that is essential for creating new memories, when curiosity inspired learning.

Curiosity can place the brain in a state that helps it to learn and retain knowledge of any sort, such as a vortex that draws in everything you are driven to learn, as well as everything around it, explains Dr Matthias Gruber, lead author.

We think more deeply and rationally about decisions when our interest is activated, and come up with more imaginative solutions. Experts agree it is very important to promote interest in all ages, from schools to the workplace and to elderly care. It has been shown that knowing or doing something fresh and different makes for a good attitude and satisfaction.

An significant characteristic of a genius is curiosity. I don’t think there’s an intelligent giant we can find who isn’t a curious guy. The physicist and Nobel Laureate Albert Einstein has been widely cited as saying, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Curiosity has its own current explanation. Never lose a sacred curiosity