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Uncertainty increases curiosity, but decreases happiness
Lieke L F van Lieshout1,2, Floris P de Lange3, Roshan Cools3,4
1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. l.vanlieshout@donders.ru.nl.
Scientific Reports
|July 8, 2021
Summary
Curiosity increases with uncertainty, but this doesn't necessarily mean we enjoy it. Research suggests the drive for information may be an unpleasant feeling we want to resolve.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Curiosity is heightened by uncertainty and the potential for new information.
- The emotional nature of curiosity (appetitive vs. aversive) remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the drive for information, known as curiosity, is an appetitive (pleasurable) or aversive (unpleasant) state.
- To investigate the relationship between uncertainty, curiosity, and subjective happiness.
Main Methods:
- Subjects completed a lottery task designed to induce uncertainty-dependent curiosity.
- Subjective ratings of happiness and curiosity were collected during the task.
Main Results:
- Curiosity significantly increased with higher outcome uncertainty, regardless of monetary gain or loss.
- Conversely, subjective happiness decreased as outcome uncertainty increased.
- This dissociation suggests curiosity and happiness are differentially affected by uncertainty.
Conclusions:
- The findings indicate that curiosity may represent an aversive drive to alleviate the discomfort of uncertainty.
- Future research should further explore the aversive nature of curiosity and its underlying mechanisms.
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