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Does curiosity make us riskier? The mediating role of willful ignorance
Maayan Finegold1, Yoella Bereby-Meyer1
1Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel.
Abstract:
Willful ignorance-the deliberate avoidance of information-plays a pivotal role in shaping how individuals assess and respond to risk. This paper explores how willful ignorance contributes to both active and passive risk-taking, with particular emphasis on the latter, where lack of action can lead to significant harm. We examine the potential of epistemic curiosity to counteract this avoidance by promoting instrumental information-seeking, while also acknowledging its potential to increase active risk-taking through heightened sensation-seeking. We present a dual-pathway model in which curiosity has opposing effects on different types of risk behavior, mediated by information preferences. This framework highlights willful ignorance as a key mechanism in risk-related decisions and offers insights into how curiosity can both mitigate and amplify risk.
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