Up: [[Curiosity]] Created: 2024-01-26 Many researchers consider curiosity as part of the category of positive emotions because of the connection to interest and enjoyment, and because when we are curious we feel happily immersed and absorbed. But Silvia argues that curiosity could actually be part of the field of [[Knowledge Emotions]]. I didn’t know that was a thing and am not actually sure that it is. But according to Silvia, knowledge emotions are emotions associated with learning and exploring, such as: - Surprise — something is unexpected and we integrate it - Confusion — something is unexpected and it’s beyond our capacity to master or understand - Awe — something is unexpected and can’t be assimilated into existing knowledge. It needs to be accommodated. It could be that interest is simply intense awe and wonder, fascination. Curiosity is an essential part of all personality models like the Big Five. It’s called ‘Openness to Experience’ or something along those lines. It means a willingness to explore new ideas, people and places; to show interest in new things. It strongly predicts everyday creativity. > [!User] Paul Silvia in ‘Curiosity’ chapter from book [The Science of Interest](https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/P_Silvia_Curiosity_2017.pdf)