Curiosity has the power to lower anxiety, and balance stressful emotions. According to one study, “stressor-related negative mood is higher than usual on days of lower than usual curiosity.”

Dopamine, a key factor in our mental health, is also released when we exercise our curiosity, and this boost allows us to engage in ways that are beneficial to the well-being of ourselves, and our communities.

According to a study by Kashdan and Rose, “Highly curious individuals tend to experience more positive interpersonal outcomes than the less curious in different social contexts…”

Kashdan and Rose’s study also highlights the importance of using “curiosity as an ingredient in the development of well-being, and meaning in life.”

TL;DR? There are a myriad of mental health benefits attributed to increased curiosity, and navigating the world around us calmer is just one of them.

Our brains thrive on newness, and reward us when we provide it with something fresh it can mull over.

This same reward system is activated when we’re curious, and a study by Dr. Charan Ranganath’s found that “Curiosity recruits the reward system… put[ting] the brain in a state in which you are more likely to learn and retain information, even if that information is not of particular interest or importance.”

Also, staying curious and interested in learning is one of the top tips for continuing healthy brain function late into life, and curiosity has even been shown to delay the onset of dementia by more than 7 years.

TL;DR? Curiosity primes the brain for learning, and keeps dementia at bay, which means we can navigate the world around us smarter, for longer.

Empathy is more than a current buzzword. It’s also what allows us to feel connected and less lonely in the world.

A study at the Mount Sinai Medical Center identified specific brain structures responsible for empathy, and their findings suggest that it may be possible to enhance these areas of the brain. In other words, empathy is like a muscle we can strengthen.

By exercising these parts of our brain, compassion can often be the result. This compassion expands our in-circle (the people or groups we feel a connection with), and diminishes the risk of experiencing empathy fatigue, which can cause us to cast others as outsiders.

One way of strengthening empathy in the brain is by being curious, says Dr. Roman Krznaric, empathy advisor to organizations like Oxfam and the United Nations. He says, “Curiosity expands our empathy when we talk to people outside our usual social circle, encountering lives and worldviews very different from our own.”

TL;DR? Strengthening our empathy helps us navigate the world around us with kindness, and less judgment. Curiosity is a good place to start that empathy-strengthening process.

(Curious to learn more? Read this enlightening article by Peter Bregman, pointing out a common mistake we all make in conversations that can actually derail our best empathy intentions.)