Why? What Makes Us Curious
Why? What Makes Us Curious by Mario Livio, published by Simon and Schuster on July 11, 2017, delves into the essence of human curiosity. In this 252-page exploration, Livio investigates our innate desire to understand the world around us, presenting experiments that reveal how partial information can heighten our curiosity. Through interviews with scientists and individuals known for their diverse interests, he examines the motivations behind curiosity and its significance across various fields, including science and the arts.
Readers will find a thoughtful analysis of curiosity’s role in human behavior and creativity. Livio discusses historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman, alongside contemporary individuals who embody boundless curiosity, such as a rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist. The book addresses the complexities of curiosity, including its psychological and neuropsychological aspects, while highlighting the ongoing quest to understand the mechanisms that drive this fundamental human trait.
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Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—as he explores our innate desire to know why.
Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?
In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless curiosity: a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?
Curiosity is at the heart of mystery and suspense novels. It is essential to other forms of art, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.
Mario Livio—an astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience—explores this irresistible subject in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.
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