Pursue Your Curiosity: Asking questions is good for your health

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Senior wrote: “Every now and then a man’s mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.”

Holmes wrote this after observing the majesty of the Alps. In more common phrasing, his mind was “blown.” Most of us have had the experience of witnessing, hearing, feeling or learning something that forever changed us and the way we think about ourselves and the world.

It’s curiosity that opens us to those experiences and allows us to keep learning and broadening our perspectives throughout our lives. In addition to stimulating the intellect, curiosity has been linked with social, psychological, emotional, and health benefits.

Curiosity encourages us to more fully engage with other people. When we are genuinely interested in others, we are more interesting to others too. Resilience is another trait that benefits from curiosity. Being curious can help us be better problem solvers. Asking, “what if…,” or “why…,” or “can we…” questions, makes us more likely to recognize a variety of solutions or outcomes to difficult situations and less prone to focus on worst-case scenarios. On a chemical level, curiosity has been shown to stimulate the release of dopamine, a “feel-good” hormone.

Viva Village offers a variety of ways to stimulate and satisfy one’s curiosity. Conversation groups and educational offerings such as monthly forums, life stories and nature walks, book groups and travelogues all engage our minds and imaginations. For volunteers, service requests often involve finding creative solutions to a member’s challenges.

Curiosity and creativity go hand in hand. It’s not surprising that many of us turn to painting, photography, writing, music, and other creative pursuits in retirement. Not only do we finally have the time to explore these interests, but knowledge and life experience have prepared us to wonder and imagine. What are you curious about?

Photos taken at Tualatin Hills Nature Park, 2024 by Yongkie Hurd. Story by Roberta S Lang, Viva Villager.

For more information on membership or volunteer opportunities with Viva Village, contact the Village: 503-746-5082 or email info@vivavillage.org .