The Antidote to Boredom

The Antidote to Boredom

This month on our social media accounts, Wombi has been prompting us to ‘Be Curious’. So, being curious, I decided to ‘dig’ further, and it turns out, it’s a handy trait to have, especially this year! 

Having a curious and inquiring mind not only makes you more interesting, but it can also:

  • benefit your health
  • make you smarter
  • enhance your relationships
  • bring happiness and
  • even increase your chance of living a meaningful and purpose filled life

Curiosity also provides an immediate end to boredom. After all, the whole world becomes new and full of wonder to a curious mind. Just ask Albert Einstein! He is quoted as having said “I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious”

So, what are some tips on becoming more curious? One of the biggest is to ask questions you don’t know the answers to! As adults, we’re always trying to protect ourselves from looking ignorant or foolish or the new kid; but being unafraid to say “I don’t know, so let’s find out” is the key.

Incidentally, this approach also helps develop healthy risk taking and decision-making traits in both adults and children. In her Harvard Business Review article “The Business Case for Curiosity,” Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino noted that curiosity is simply part of being human. “When our curiosity is triggered,” she wrote, “we think more deeply and rationally about decisions and come up with more creative solutions.”

So what are you curious about? How to grow a lemon tree? What would happen if you took a drawing class? Why do magpies swoop in spring?*

* why magpies swoop