Is curiosity the key to ageing well?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 938 Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Psychologists have traditionally believed we become less curious as we age, but recent research has shown that curiosity actually becomes more targeted and specific in our later years. To find out why this happens, and how maintaining broad curiosity into older age can help keep our brains young, Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Mary Whatley, an assistant professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, and Dr Matthias Gruber, of Cardiff University’s Brain Imaging Centre. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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1:21.7	Here's a question for you. Where on earth do trees grow with square trunks? Curious to know?
1:34.3	Well, I am going to tell you the answer, but not yet. To be a scientist, you have to be high in curiosity.
1:41.2	You have to have a little bit of all the different types of curiosity in order to stick it out through those grueling research projects and not just give up.
1:45.8	I was able to follow my curiosity in a way, make a job out of my curiosity.
1:52.4	Doctors Matthias Gruber and Mary Watley have gone rather meta with their curiosity.
1:58.2	They study curiosity itself.
	...

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