The Value of Curiosity

How do smart people hold onto some stupid ideas? Motivated reasoning is one very important way. People start with a belief that’s very important to them. Then, they collect information to support it. Also, they arrange their information into a rationale that supports their belief. The result is a fortress of conviction. But one thing might be able to overcome it – curiosity.

Abundant Examples

Some brilliant figures offer us striking examples of motivated reasoning. Albert Einstein made glaring mistakes by relying on his intuition at times. Steven Jobs died with regrets about delaying medical treatment for his cancer. Instead, he initially pursued only alternative medicine approaches. The list is long.

Certainly in politics, motivated reasoning has become everything. The wall, the climate, the Mueller report – the value of facts depends entirely upon how they fit with your motivated reasoning.

But especially in obesity and nutrition, we find endless examples of motivated reasoning. The American Heart Association is so tightly wedded to its Life’s Simple 7 that it’s a trademark. So they overlook a basic flaw. In its target list of ideal health behaviors, AHA includes having a BMI less than 25 – as if BMI is a behavior, not a physical characteristic.

In nutrition, you don’t need to look very far to trip over the motivated reasoning. People have built careers upon claiming that sugar is toxic. On the flip side, the beverage industry brings equally flawed and motivated reasoning to insist that sugary beverages aren’t a problem – “balance” is all that matters.

Scientific Curiosity Can Help

Here’s the good news. Scientific curiosity can help. Writing in Political Psychology, Dan Kahan and colleagues explain that science curiosity is measurable. And when they measure it, they find it promotes open minded engagement with facts and ideas. People with more curiosity are more likely to consider facts that contradict their prior beliefs.

We need more of this. Can we promote the value of scientific curiosity? This would be important work on many levels.

Click here to read more in Vox and here for more on the value of curiosity from Erin Wildermuth.

Thatcheria Mirabilis, Japanese Wonder Shell, photograph by H. Zell, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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March 31, 2019