Curiosity is a fickle mistress…

The Sunday scaries were setting in.

As day turned into night, it was time to celebrate America’s other pastime… watching tv.

AN UNHEALTHY AMOUNT OF IT!!

And much like the soccer Mom in the minivan, drunk on indecision, clogging up the drive-thru called life; I too was overwhelmed with choices about what to watch. 

I changed. I turned. I moaned. I groaned. And I was comfortably uncomfortable until it hit me.

I saw the three words that made my brain come alive.

The secrets of…. (scroll to the bottom to see the show I watched) And Boom! I was instantly swept into the inescapable pull of curiosity. Human nature won again.

Curiosity is many things…

It was the fall of Eve; it is the killer of cats (meow) and it’s the current conqueror of conscience.

We are fatally attracted to curiosity and whether we realize it or not, it guides our decisions.

In fact, if you understand curiosity, you can use it to write better headlines, connect with more people, improve your income and be more interesting in your storytelling.

So without further ado, prepare to take a deep dive into the inescapable pull of curiosity and discover how to harness the power.

Understanding Human Nature

Understanding curiosity begins with understanding human nature. After all, the best way to study a disease is to first study the host and what makes it vulnerable. 

I suspect curiosity’s strength begins with humanity’s greatest flaw. 

People are hard-wired for self-interest.

 Believe me, I’ve been to Ohio.  

People want their cake and will raise Hell if they can’t eat it too.

 Just Look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. 

Taking care of self-interest comes first, and even if you escape it, it’s in our roots. 

And as the primary root sews its way deep into the earth’s soil, three branches stick out. 

• Using curiosity to promote a positive experience.
• Using curioisty to prevent a negative experience.
• Using curiosity for curiosity’s sake.

Using Curiosity to Promote a Positive Experience 

Welcome to the sunny side of life. On this side, not only is it blue skies and big dreams, but the side effect is your life gets better. 

MUCH BETTER

How does it get better? By reading this book. Or investing in this NFT! Or by joining this secret mastermind chock-full of industry titans where you learn “The Secrets of Success” and how you can get it too. Yes, you!

(All you need to do is fork over cash you don’t have and fly to places you have never been!) 

But don’t worry your pretty head about the cost! Soon you’ll be rolling in cash, swimming in cash, drowning in cash!

C’mon, it’s the sunny side of life; it’s in your blood to be successful!

But I digress…

“Can this improve my life” is the thought behind using curiosity for a positive experience. 

And we flock to it… because really, who doesn’t want a better life? 

Even Squidward wants a better life, and Squidward doesn’t like anything!

That’s why you’ll notice whenever you hear about something that can improve your well-being; more often than not, you might just pause and consider.

It’s positive curiosity, and it’s a beautiful thing.

This tactic is used all the time in personal development, sales pitches, advertisements, you name it.

So what does this tell you?

That you should look for opportunities to frame your ask/sale/article/whatever in a curious, positive self-interest manner and see what response you get.

If I had to guess, pun-intended, the results may be positive.

Use curiosity to prevent a negative experience. 

I don’t know if it began after watching your ancient neighbor, Caveman John, accidentally get stepped on by a 76,159-pound Brachiosaurus. Or if it began after our ancestors went through a long stomach-growling famine, but being curious about how to prevent a negative experience is in our blood. 

Why?

Because we hate the boogie man.

And all the bullshit he brings. That’s why when you see a warning, whether in a news story, an article, or a spammy sales message, we’ll naturally stop and consider.

As my fictional scientist, Igor likes to say, “We don’t like when shit happens to us!“

And why should you? Because you are a human and you’re programmed to survive.

So what does this tell us?

The next time you’re framing an argument/pitch, paint your point in the light to prevent a negative experience.

It just may be the attention-getter you need.

You’ve been warned. (See, I did it again!)

Use curiosity for… curiosity’s sakes.

The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. That was the show I watched. (if you scrolled down here first, that shows curiosity at work)

Curiosity for curiosity’s sake is the best part of life.

 It’s a pull into your imagination and a chance to experience the thrill of the unknown. 

But it’s a fleeting feeling, as once you discover something, the novelty is over and genuine interest will be required to keep people hooked.

However… I do suspect that at the root of curiosity for curiosity’s sake, we’re subconsciously interested in confirming if the information we’re learning can help or hurt us.

But hey, what the Hell do I know? (That’s curiosity at work)

Use curiosity for curiosity’s sake when you want to reveal something that’s interesting.

Great storytellers do this and leave you wanting more.

And that’s what we love about them.

What Does This All Mean and How Did the Cat Get Rich?

It means that’s humans are hard-wired for curiosity and typically drawn to it to learn how to promote a positive experience or prevent a negative experience.

And the cat used the power of curiosity to attract attention and sell items. (That’s my guess)

Whether you’re young or old, a novice or experienced, watch out for the inescapable pull of curiosity because it’s bound to suck you in.

So tell me, what do you think about curiosity? Do you find yourself drawn to information promising a positive outcome or preventing a negative outcome?