BACKGROUND Curiosity about cigarettes is a reliable predictor of susceptibility to smoking and established use among youth. Related research has been limited to cigarettes, and lacks national-level estimates. Factors associated with curiosity about tobacco products, such as advertising, have been postulated but rarely tested. PURPOSE To describe the prevalence of curiosity about cigarettes, s...

Whereas prior literature has studied the positive effects of curiosity-evoking events that are integral to focal activities, we explore whether and how a curiosity-evoking event that is incidental to a focal activity induces negative outcomes for enjoyment. Four experiments and 1 field study demonstrate that curiosity about an event that is incidental to an activity in which individuals are eng...

Curiosity is one of the most basic biological drives in both animals and humans, and has been identified as a key motive for learning and discovery. Despite the importance of curiosity and related behaviors, the topic has been largely neglected in human neuroscience; hence little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying curiosity. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (f...

Our actions and decisions are regularly influenced by the social environment around us. Can cues be leveraged to induce curiosity affect subsequent behavior? Across two experiments, we show that is contagious: The can influence people's about answers scientific questions. Participants were presented with everyday questions science from a popular on-line forum, these shown high or low number of ...

Abstract In this study conducted during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, I explored how trait morbid curiosity was related to interest in 1) factual information about that specifically morbid; 2) general Coronavirus; 3) pandemic and virus genres of films TV shows; 4) film shows center around threat more broadly. Participants (n = 125) who scored high reported increased interest, compared usual, p...

Social Network Site (SNS) service providers have a strong interest in knowing which factors drive different kinds of behavior in SNSs, in order to be able to foster behavior that is beneficial to their business models. Current studies neglect the factors driving Observing behavior: behavior that provides members with information within SNSs. Drawing from the Uses and Gratifications Theory, we p...

We examined the roles of curiosity, social anxiety, and positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in the development of interpersonal closeness. A reciprocal self–disclosure task was used wherein participants and trained confederates asked and answered questions escalating in personal and emotional depth (mimicking closeness–development). Relationships between curiosity and relationship out...

This study examined curiosity as a mechanism for achieving and maintaining high levels of well-being and meaning in life. Of primary interest was whether people high in trait curiosity derive greater well-being on days when they are more curious. We also tested whether trait and daily curiosity led to greater, sustainable wellbeing. Predictions were tested using trait measures and 21 daily diar...