Curiosity drives us to seek information, not because we expect pleasure from finding the answer, but to relieve the discomfort from the gap in our knowledge. Much like hunger, curiosity is a painful state of deprivation.
Paper: The psychology of curiosity: A review and reinterpretation
Why does curiosity often feel like an itch? It starts subtly but grows increasingly uncomfortable, pushing us to stay up late to watch some videos about obscure topics to relieve that feeling.
George Loewenstein's information gap theory explains this phenomenon. He defines an "Information Gap" as [a question a person is aware of but uncertain about](https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/docs/golman/Information-Gap Theory 2016.pdf) and suggests that curiosity sparks when we notice a gap between what we know and what we want to know.
This theory frames curiosity as a state of deprivation, like hunger or thirst. Just as hunger motivates us to eat and thirst drives us to drink, curiosity pushes us to seek information. This drive is not about the pleasure of obtaining the answer but the unease of the gap itself.
In his words, curiosity is a "cognitive-induced deprivation that arises from the perception of a gap in knowledge and understanding."
Loewenstein idea is supported by fMRI studies. One study reveals that curiosity activates brain regions like the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex (AIC/ACC), which are linked to conflict, arousal, and aversive states. This neural activity suggests that we first experience curiosity as a negative state.
Moreover, relief of this discomfort is correlated with activity in reward centers of the brain, which means it's reducing the aversive state, rather than anticipating information, that feels rewarding.
It's important to note that pain and pleasure don't cancel each other out, a concept aligned with Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. According to Herzberg's theory, job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are independent factors. Addressing sources of dissatisfaction doesn't necessarily create satisfaction, just as reducing discomfort from curiosity doesn't always result in joy. It simply provides relief. The joy you experienced might be caused by other factors.