Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life Paperback – December 7, 2010

Dr. Kashdan describes a curious person as being an explorer. What a refreshing perspective! This imagery promotes the exploration of the unknown in a very non-threatening way and makes the concept of learning very inviting!Dr. Kashdan shares deep knowledge from the fields of psychology, neurology, and his specific expertise in interpersonal relationships. He provides scientific ground for his gripping comments, while the insights from his counseling experiences provide practical scenarios in which to better understand the phenomenon of curiosity. This makes the knowledge that he shares much more relate-able to the lives of his readers.I value how Dr. Kashdan re-contextualizes happiness, especially since some books tend to idolize happiness to the near neglect of deeper fulfillment. He helps to explain that focusing on happiness alone can blind us to the deep nuances that truly make life meaningful!I also value that Dr. Kashdan highlights how society can squash innate curiosity, especially within the educational system. This is one of my personal concerns as well. The more we can become aware of the consequences of squashed curiosity, the faster we can help influence how schools function and help our children be the change agents we need them to be for better tomorrows!Dr. Kashdan offers provocative discussion about attending to that which is familiar - curiosity is about recognizing novelty everywhere. I dare say that readers are likely to take pause in the book to look up at their surroundings and question what they take for granted.Chapter 7 - The Anxious Mind and the Curious Spirit - provides a helpful perspective through which to understand one's own anxiety. Rather than getting caught up in anxiousness, it can be utilized to empower curiosity. Dr. Kashdan discusses the duality between anxiousness and curiosity, and how to potentially bridge the two.A couple of times Dr. Kashdan addresses the topic of how to ask questions of other people - how to be curious in social encounters. This is excellent teaching! His insights can help improve one's likelihood of having meaningful conversation with others by simply enlisting one's capacity to be curious.I appreciate how Dr. Kashdan shares insights from his professional practice as well as his own personal disclosures. These elements humanized the book. As a result, he is not so much the author as he is a person to whom one can relate. This creates a basis of trust, which makes the content of the book much more consumable.The Appendix offers several questionnaires that provide personalized experiences for readers to become vested in the knowledge that he shares. What a great way to mobilize the information.To the critics of this book, I offer a few comments. As the science of positive psychology produces more information about human functioning and thriving, it is important to share this information with the public. Academia and peer reviewed journals look for one form of writing, while the mass public prefers another. There is a fine art to translating science into palatable public information. Maybe some people would prefer not to have Dr. Kashdan's more conversational tone or personal disclosures, but between these aspects is abundant, solid information. For those who find some of his guidance too simplistic, I would say that simple guidance is easier to follow and yet surprisingly hard to practice. If you think his suggestions are too easy, try to implement them with regularity and see what challenges you experience in the process.One criticism I have is that I would have personally preferred a type of consolidating chapter as the close to the book. In Dr. Kashdan's last chapter, he emphasizes how curiosity is involved with a meaningful life. I believe that an additional chapter thereafter, which would provide a synopsis that threads together the entire range of content in the book, would provide a stronger close and anchor the overall knowledge he's shared. In lieu of that, he ends by championing human potential and highlighting the grander focus of finding purpose in life. That's enticing.Dr. Kashdan offers a bounty of information about curiosity, as well as a new perspective on human functioning. This is cutting edge information from the burgeoning field of positive psychology, as well as recent findings from the field of neurology. These refined understandings can assist all of us in our efforts to grow and more fully realize our potential!

After hearing Kashdan on NPR shortly after the release of his book, I was looking forward getting a copy in my hands to read. I thought the book would be a validation for those described as inquisitive at best, nerdy at worst. It was that, and much more. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a curious person, or the idea of incorporating more exploration into your life is intriguing, the book has immediate and accessible appeal. In reading the book, I was struck by how easy it was to connect with Kashdan's theories and outlook on the concept of curiosity, and how to constructively incorporate more of it into one's life. Of particular interest was the concept of using curiosity to enhance interpersonal relationships, and the role that curiosity can play in counterbalancing anxiety.From my perspective, a large part of Kashdan's success with this book is that he does not come off as a fusty academic, despite having a PhD after his name. His demeanor comes off as hip and contemporary without really trying (the guy admits he listens to Tool at high volume when he does his most productive writing) He is a self-described curious person, and the enthusiasm he brings to researching the subject shows. The result is a enjoyable read. Lastly, I appreciated that Kashdan chose to include sample personality inventories and exercises at the end of the book, rather than throughout - ensuring its place as an easy to use tool for enhancing one's life....

Generally speaking, I like this book. However, to me there are a few things that are troubling. Not troubling in a global sense, but troubling as in a little annoying. My first observation is that I don't think Todd fully understands the science of positive psychology. My second observation is that Todd seems to know very little about the science of evolutionary psychology. My third observation is that I think Todd has been negatively influenced by his training as a clinical psychologist (the study of human misery) in a way that has blinded him to what positive psychology and evolutionary psychology are really all about.Todd writes on pages 12 and 13, "In the often one-sided focus on positive experiences and strengths, positive psychology, and happiness researchers underestimate the the value of negative feelings, uncertainty, and stress." Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who study positive psychology are well aware of negative feelings, uncertainty, and stress, but we also know how powerful they are and intrude whether we want them to or not. The science of positive psychology fully embraces the ubiquity and power of the negative. The best antidote for the negative is the science of positive psychology. These negatives do not go away; they are merely managed. No positive psychology scholar or researcher ignores negative thoughts and feelings as the author says they do! He recommends that "Both positive and negative need to be addressed." Todd, they are addressed directly by the interventions of the science of positive psychology!What is so ironic is that in the process of taking shots at positive psychology and ignoring the science of evolutionary psychology, Todd hails the virtue of curiosity, which is a positive psychology intervention, although he avoided saying so!On page 23, Todd begins a discussion of "Curiosity Is a Counterbalance to Certainty, Closure, and Confidence." On page 24, he writes that "...I need to be clear that none of us should be embarrassed or blame ourselves if we feel the need to be certain." The drive for certainty is hard-wired into our brains. We know unequivocally from the science of evolutionary psychology that humans have a brain module for certainty and closure.I agree that curiosity is laudable and should be pursued and expanded and I agree that we should develop this skill, but in the process Todd throws out the baby with the bath water in making statements about positive psychology and our genetically-determined human tendencies without proper knowledge or nuance.Todd writes an entire book about curiosity, which is a positive psychology intervention, but then writes about it as if it is not!I'll write more later as I continue to plow through the book!

Curiosity is one of my VIA signature strengths, and I am also an anxious person. Some time ago I read an interview with the author of this book about how curiosity helps to decrease anxiety, so I decided to read it. But I learned more than I expected because the author even talks about the link between curiosity and meaning in life, as well as the link with other concepts.

One of the better books about positive psychology,based on a lot of decent research and really thought provoking about a curiously neglected aspect of our character.