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Curious City

During last week's visit to Mexico City, I stepped out of my comfort zone and into a restaurant. Now, I know what you're thinking. (Take it easy, tough guy. What's next, doing your laundry? Oooh.) But hold on just a minute. When you stop and think about today's topic of "curiosity", I think you'd have to agree that interest and inspiration can happen just about anywhere - even in a typical restaurant. (So there.)

My own brush with curiosity started innocently enough. I had decided that as this was my first visit South of the Border, I would partake in one of the area's more unusual dishes. I was anxious to see what types of cuisine I was missing in New England. Little did I know that my budding interest in Mexican food was yet another life lesson.

This month's issue of "Psychology Today" describes how curiosity may fuel more than our sense of adventure. A researcher from George Mason University recently conducted a study where he found that curious people tend to "exhibit higher levels of satisfaction with life than their more disengaged peers" (Svoboda, 2006, p. 57). Upon reading this, I became really curious. How exactly does having (and acting on) a sense of curiosity lead to greater life satisfaction?

Fortunately, I read on. (And so should you.)

According to experts, "curious people report finding a greater sense of meaning in life, which is a better predictor of sustainable, lasting happiness" (Svoboda, 2006, p. 57). Okay, now I get it. Human experience is a great and wondrous gift. Whether you're interested in learning something new or trying some new activity, there are just so many possibilities. You never know what you might enjoy if you don't embrace your natural sense of wonder and follow through on it.

So I tried to remember the inherent benefits of curiosity when the waiter brought me a warm tortilla and a heaping dish of ant eggs. (That's right, folks. They're not just for breakfast anymore.) I had happily ordered Escamoles and now it was my turn to follow through. I put on a brave face as I took a large bite. (How big are those ants, anyway?) To my amazement, they actually weren't bad at all. My curiosity had paid off.

Okay, so maybe you don't like the thought of chowing down on ant larvae. (So sensitive.) Let me make it up to you by sharing another secret of success in the curiosity biz. The article I mentioned ended with a THRIVE-a-licious suggestion around how to turn to others for support along your path to curiosity. The author suggested "enlisting a friend to join you in pursuing a new interest that seems intimidating, like kickboxing or watercolors" (Svoboda, 2006, p. 58).

While I'm not sure I consider watercolors to be "intimidating" (Look out! Red!), I do agree that joining forces is a recipe for success. So phone a friend. Whatever it takes for you to act on that curiosity urge, I say go for it. Embrace life by feeding your need to pursue novel and interesting things that catch your fancy.

And remember, if you ever need someone to eat weird food with you, I'm your man.

Reference: Svoboda, E. (2006). Cultivating curiosity. Psychology Today, 39(5), pp. 57-58.