CURIOUS CATS

So who let the cat out? The kid who just can't stop asking "Why" till you want to hit him on the head; the pesky neighbour who wants to know who enters your house, why, what your family quirks are; the cousin who empties your wardrobe to check whether you have anything hidden there that'll give her enough fodder for gossip...?

Whatever it is, the curiosity machine certainly sems to be whirring. I can almost feel multicoloured bulbs light up in the brains of those who've just chanced upon juicy bits of information. Their eyes do light up, at least!

Here's where it comes from: There's something called the reticular arousal system in the brain, which has to do the most with alertness or intensity of attention (and thus curiosity). It is a column of nerve cells extending through the lower brain.

And hey, a little bit of the curious stuff can be good for you too. Researcher Dr Sonia Cavigelli's found, in her study of 80 female rats from birth to death, that the curious ones survived breast and pituitary tumors and lived, on an average, 25 percent longer than the cautious ones.
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20050209000020data_trunc_sys.shtml
Curiosity has been identified as a trait that predicts adjustment and success. It's also a "reproductive trait", one that is looked for in a mate. A positive relationship between curiosity and creativity has also been found (Vidler, 1977).
A study by psychologists at the University at Buffalo says the degree to which people are curious influences their personal growth opportunities and the level of intimacy that develops when they meet someone new -- the first study to examine how curiosity affects the genesis of intimacy.
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~kashdan
Curiosity has also been identified as a major motivation for great accomplishments. http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/curious.htm

There's also the opposite effect, of course. One that extends beyond just obnoxious intrusive behaviour. Studies have shown that curiosity is a primary motive for dangerous activities and drug use.
There's an awesome link on the subject, for those who're -- well, curious:
http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/fosteringcuriosity.html