First, the brain enjoys curiosity, which creates a natural positive feedback loop to learning. With curiosity leading the way, the hippocampus lights up, paving the way toward a pleasure-reward circuit, attaching a hit of “feel good” dopamine. 
That positive sensation leads to a greater desire to return to the function of learning again, as the brain has a habit of repeating what the body enjoys. 
Second, curiosity – perhaps beginning with a thoughtful question – to catch a child’s interest opens the mind to receive more information, even that which isn’t directly related to a lesson or topic of conversation. When inquiry begins from a safe space of curiosity, rather than a stress-driven state that emphasizes a success/failure dichotomy, the brain associates positive emotion in the memory, helping the information to be more easily recalled. 
So the next time your 4-year-old leads you down a long-strung series of questions about the sky, aerodynamics, and birds, you can recognize that the learning that she is absorbing through questions and conversation are leading her to a place of greater understanding, not to test your trivia abilities on the topic of aviation. 

The Nobel prize-winning Jewish physicist Isidore Rabi once explained that his mother taught him how to be a scientist. ‘Every other child would come back from school and be asked, “What did you learn today?” But my mother used to ask, instead, “Izzy, did you ask a good question today?”’ (Source) There is divided opinion on if a person can ask a “bad” question, but it’s unanimous that some questions are better at bringing about thoughtful or rich responses.

If a person wants to get better at asking questions, specifically of herself, there might be a few practices that can help to grow in question-asking skill. For more thoughts on asking good questions, a podcast with journalist Dean Nelson on the power of inquiry and getting people – maybe even your own self – to open up.

1. Start with Why. When confronted with a fact (or opinion), ask of it: why? The simple task of asking why rather than making assumptions will unearth a hearty soil for growing curiosity. Then move on to other investigative questions: What story do I hear? Is it true? What is my body trying to tell me? What can I accept in this moment? Who do I want to be in this moment?

2. Don’t ask questions that will only be used to confirm a suspicion. Instead, find a way to allow the question to open the door to other observations and ideas. Instead of “Why didn’t you like dinner this evening?” ask, “What were you hoping for from your dinner this evening.” Assumptions hidden within questions narrow responses.

3. Recognize that questions can accomplish both “information exchange” rather than “impression management.” HBR reports that spending more time asking questions actually lead to a more favorable experience of a person. Using questions reaches beyond simple information, paving the way for vulnerability – the seedbed of connection.

As the new year commences, many people use the fresh start to create new habits or work toward new goals. At Mind Body Health Associates, we want to support you in those endeavors. One element we believe can help sustain long-term growth and creation of healthy lifestyles is to arrive at any point of change with a spirit of curiosity, rather than approaching yourself with shame, fear, dread, or relying on inner strength and willpower.

This year the Mind Body Health Associates team is asking, what would happen if you approached your habits and lifestyle less with a spirit of judgment and more of one filled with curiosity?

The “sober curious” movement is gaining attention in mainstream media (like NPR and The Guardian) for its generous approach to leaving behind alcohol – a common resolution is to “drink less”. For many in recovery, the decision to get sober was one of life and death; the consequences of alcohol or drug use would take them down a path of complete destruction. For this reason, groups such as AA have been valuable resources for maintaining a path to sobriety and Landon Dunn, LISW, LICDC makes a regular practice of referring individuals to these programs. But for some people, they may not feel like they have a life and death problem with substances but they might also be hearing their inner voice prompt them to pay attention to consumption.

The sober curious approach simply says, what if you were to get curious about your relationship to alcohol? What if you didn’t make a decision today to abstain for the rest of your life, but rather gave space and time to explore the issue at hand? And when you remove the element of judgment for your personal response, you can keep shame at bay when you notice something that doesn’t fit with your personal values.

The sober curious approach can apply to many facets of life, one we’ll just call curiosity. You can be sugar curious, movement curious, even relationally curious.

• What might it look like and feel like to take a break from sugar?
• How might my body respond to different movement modalities?
• What could our friendship look like if we became more intentional about how we spent our time together?
• What would happen to our marriage if we shared a 5-second kiss each day?
• What are my feelings about my daily work beyond measurements of “success”?

Here’s to a great year that asks questions of the bigger picture of what it means to live intentionally and getting curious about what a better life might look like.