Curiosity Uniquely Related to Psychological Richness in Human Well-Being

Curiosity (wanting to know more) is critical for human learning and social interactions. Does curiosity relate to well-being? To address this question, we tested whether curiosity is associated with three dimensions of well-being: happiness, meaning in life, and psychological richness (a dimension of well-being characterized by diverse, perspective-changing experiences). Across six studies, psychological richness was consistently associated with curiosity, whereas happiness and meaning in life were not. Individuals leading psychologically richer lives self-reported greater curious tendencies (Studies 1–3; N = 5,363 across 13 countries) and exhibited greater behavioral indicators of curiosity, including more frequent exploratory behaviors in a two-week daily diary (Study 4; N = 203) and greater willingness to learn information in a laboratory setting (Study 5; N = 272). Finally, Study 6 (N = 451) demonstrated that individuals induced to value psychological richness showed greater willingness to learn compared to those in the control condition. Together, these findings suggest that curiosity is closely linked to well-being—particularly through its association with psychological richness.