The lifecycles of curiosity and learning

Presented as a neat little 2x2

In my last article, I argued that one of the biggest challenges that people have when facing uncertainty (or conflict or confrontation) is being able to think clearly. Specifically, it’s just really hard to separate the objective ‘what’ of data and facts from how we make sense of that information, which is almost completely impossible to do without some subjectivity.

I introduced the Awareness Framework as a simple tool to help people separate the objective from the subjective, the practice of which helps us hold our ideas lightly.

What this model aims to do is start the process of curiosity. But at what point do we stop? After all, it’s entirely possible to get lost in our curiosity; down the rabbit hole and into a warren of endless wondering and distractions.

So today, I’m quite excited to share a model that I’ve been refining over the past few years that describes the lifecycle of curiosity and learning.

The X-axis represents the spectrum of convergent ideas to divergent ideas. Divergence represents exposure to different ideas (or perspectives, data, opinions, etc). On the other hand, convergence doesn’t mean a single idea, but instead represents a consolidation of ideas into a narrower, focused view.

The Y-axis is self-explanatory: We question things or we don’t.

Importantly, this model is descriptive. Typically, 2x2 models like this push you towards the top right as the ideal outcome. However, there are some very real pros and cons to each stage, which is why I consider this a lifecycle. Let’s get into it!

Stage 1 – Autopilot

Let’s start in the bottom left. The Autopilot stage describes our default frame of mind. It is the stage that represents Type 1 thinking, introduced by Daniel Kahneman in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow to describe the rapid, intuitive, automatic and (virtually) unconscious thinking we apply to our daily lives.

According to Kahneman, approximately 90% to 95% of our thinking is comprised of Type 1 thinking, which isn’t particularly surprising. After all, do you need to question why you put clothes on every morning? Do you need to figure out how basic maths works every time you’re buying groceries?

At a more advanced level, there are times when it can be in our best interest to be in Autopilot. When we’re under intense workload pressure and we need to focus to get stuff done, being too curious can be a source of distraction.

This dynamic also applies at an organisational level. Whilst we want to encourage team members to be proactive and curious, there are times when we kinda just need people to do the work in front of them. In military or emergency services organisations, having well-trained people who are excellent at carrying out instructions is vital.

On the other hand: “To a hammer, everything is a nail”. If we’re not careful, this is where we can fall into the trap of expertise. ‘It’s always worked this way’ is the single biggest limiting mindset when confronting uncertainty.

Stage 2 – Impressionable Passenger

As we journey through life, we are inevitably exposed to new, different ideas that present a contrast or divergence from our normal frame of mind. But is it possible to not question new ideas? I would argue yes, and I further argue that it happens more than we think.

We’re introduced to an absolute torrent of new information every day, the vast majority of which we might not give any thought to. In fact, I argue here and here that this firehose of information might very well be what’s inhibiting our curiosity.

However, there’s another scenario where we might not question new ideas: When it’s introduced to us by someone we trust. Social media and algorithms are often blamed for echo chambers and information bubbles however as this research shows, apparently only 8% of adults are at risk of getting stuck in a social media echo chamber. In fact, what’s more likely to trap people in echo chambers are the friends and peers we share information with (our ‘social’ algorithms, if you will).

Confessional time: Have you ever taken someone’s recommendation on board, whether it’s business or personal advice, not because you’ve done any research on the matter, but simply because you trust the person who recommended it to you? How about taking the recommendation of AI at face value?

This is why Stage 2 is provocatively named Impressionable Passenger. Without questioning new ideas or perspectives, we risk being taken for a ride.

However, it’s still a vital stage to travel through. To build on the Information Gap Theory proposed by George Loewenstein and Russell Golman (1996), our curiosity is sparked when we’re presented with something new; something that presents a contrast or divergence from our normal frame of mind. Putting it more plainly: The more new ideas we are exposed to, the more likely we are to become curious.

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Sidebar: In my recent webinar, someone posed the question: “How do you get someone who’s in Autopilot to overcome their ‘expertise’ and change their mind?”

In one of my earliest articles on curiosity, I built on Loewenstein’s theory to argue that for our curiosity to be triggered, we need to be presented with ideas and topics that are relevant to us in some way.

Thus, when applying this stage of the lifecycle, just telling people they need to change or presenting them with new information doesn’t always work. New ideas may need to be presented in a way that feels relevant to them; the classic ‘What’s in it for me?’

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Just re-inserting this here for easier reference.

Stage 3 – Deep Diver

At some stage, a particular topic might catch our interest, and we naturally start to move up the Y-axis of questioning. We ask questions that better help us understand the idea in detail, how it works, the nuances, and we start to engage with that 5% to 10% of our Type 2 slow and deliberate thinking; hence Deep Diver.

Practically, this might look like reading a book, watching a YouTube explainer, or even taking a class or workshop on a topic. Academically, this might even look like a PhD, where we go super deep on an area of research.

Importantly, this is the stage where our expertise starts to build, and the need to ask questions becomes vital, as that’s how we begin to learn. To quote earlier me:

Education without curiosity is indoctrination. (Aka Impressional Passenger)

Education with curiosity is learning.

However, within the Deep Diver stage, it’s possible to succumb to tunnel vision, perfectionism, and endless theorising. Imagine a researcher who is so locked in on a single area of research that they forget to consider how it applies in real life and what it means to engage with other people and diverse perspectives.

Stage 4 – Curious Navigator

Which takes us to Stage 4, where we take what we’ve learned in and start to ask: “How does this apply elsewhere?” The deep dive of Stage 3 represents the building of foundations from which we can meaningfully engage with new, divergent ideas. Applied well, this is the stage where we might start to innovate, to experiment, and to challenge ourselves (and others).

Is it possible to go to Stage 4 from Stage 2 (Impressionable Passenger)? Yes, but consider what that means: A million questions for a million new ideas. If we skip Stage 3, we risk being distracted even further, not knowing whether the questions we ask are relevant or not.

Even if we’ve focused on the ‘wrong’ thing to learn in Stage 3, it is still important to have that foundation as a point of comparison, a beacon from which we can navigate in Stage 4; there is a purpose to our exploration.

But there is a downside to being in this stage. In fact, there’s a scenario that’s been playing out in my head: I visit a school and I give a talk on the importance of empowering students to be curious. I leave and give myself a pat on the back. What ensues is a classroom of students asking endless streams of distracting questions, with every attempt by teachers to get the class back on track shut down by the refrain: “But teacher, Scott told us to be more curious! What aren’t you letting us be curious?”

I consider this a non-trivial challenge, especially because it’s a hop and a skip away from dismissing the work of established research and evidence, to creating conspiracy theories. “Why can’t I ask ridiculous questions? Why can’t you be more curious?” can be used as a shield, to dismiss what other people share as bunk, and to justify our line of thinking as ‘just being curious’.

In other words, I argue that it’s possible to get lost in endless exploration, where nothing gets done (a Stage that I’m intimately familiar with, much to my irritation). At some point, it does become important to stop wondering and start doing. We consolidate and converge everything we’ve learned into a new constellation of knowledge so we can get on with our lives. We return to Autopilot.

The lifecycle

In summary, for the vast majority of our lives (90% to 95%), we’ll be in Autopilot (Stage 1), which serves us until it doesn’t. As we become exposed to divergent new ideas (Stage 2), we increase the likelihood of stumbling across something that piques our curiosity and energises us to learn further (Stage 3). As we learn more about an idea, it gives us a foundation or beacon from which we consciously engage and navigate new ideas (Stage 4). Eventually, that all converges back down to Autopilot.

This is the actual final version of the model, demonstrating that the process of curiosity and learning is a lifelong practice.

On a final note, I really want to emphasise the cyclical nature of this model. If I were a more talented graphic designer, I would try to draw this model in 3D because each time we cycle through each stage, we level up our understanding of something.

At Level 1, we might fall victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect, where a little bit of knowledge creates a cognitive bias that we know everything we need to know. But we also know that’s just not how lifelong learning works!

As we grow and mature, we realise that our understanding of the world might be incomplete, and thus we set out on another cycle of learning.

I’ll stop here. If you’ve made it this far, I want to thank you for coming on the journey with me, and I leave you with an ask: Do you recognise each of these stages throughout your life? Where have you found yourself stuck? And what further questions does this spark for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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If you liked this article, I’d really appreciate it if you gave it a like, a comment, or a repost (for Substack readers). For email readers, I’d love to know what this sparks for you!

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About me

I help leaders and business owners get curious to get clear. I specialise in business strategy, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, and education.

Here’s how you can engage me:

• Facilitation – Through facilitated workshops, I work with leadership teams to get clear on barriers and cognitive biases to deliver breakthroughs.

• Training – I deliver training programs on leadership, innovation, and collaboration.

• Coaching – I provide 1:1 business and leadership coaching.

• Keynote Speaking – If you’re looking for a keynote to inspire, engage, or (positively) provoke your team or community to empower them to think differently, I’d love to come and give a talk. For all bookings, please contact: info@corporatespeakersaustralia.com.au

Or if you’d like to just have a chat first, hit me up!