Why Curiosity Is Better Than Being Smart?

Hello everyone! Sometimes when I introduce myself on Zoom calls, I simply say, "I'm a curious man." And that's because curiosity has been a defining trait of mine for many years. I'm fascinated by a wide range of topics and love digging deep to understand how things work. Today, I'm excited to share some of my insights and reflections with you.

Whenever someone compliments me, I often quip:

"Thanks! I was just born this talented."

And then I snap back to reality.

Just kidding, of course.

Honestly, I see myself as pretty ordinary in terms of intelligence.

Actually, the word I’m looking for is average.

But there’s one trait that helps me combat my natural shortcomings—my secret weapon, if you will—I'm curious.

While I do believe there are naturally smart people, I also think they stay smart because they're curious.

It’s like a loop.

They’re smart, which makes them curious, and their curiosity keeps making them smarter.

I can’t magically inject intelligence into my average brain, so I focus on what I can do: nurture my curiosity.

It’s still a loop, but it starts with curiosity.

Curious people are smart, and smart because they’re curious.

To illustrate this, let’s look at the thought process of smart people.

Smart People Become Curious (Smart-curious-loop) Smart individuals get even smarter because they understand they don’t have all the answers. They know knowledge fades and that continuous learning is, even after college. They recognize there are things we know, things we don’t know, and things we don’t know we don’t know.

That’s why smart people keep learning, doing, failing, and trying again.

Curious People Become Smarter (curious-smart-loop) Curious people become smart almost by accident.

Their curiosity drives them down various rabbit holes.

Driven by a childlike desire to understand why things are the way they are, they explore webs full of initially strange concepts.

Their relentless desire to explore the world and understand human behavior leads them to read articles, books, even old newspapers, and to seek solutions beyond their field of work.

It’s harder for them to grasp concepts, but their unyielding hunger to figure things out helps them overcome their lack of innate intellect.

As a kid, I was super curious about how things worked.

That’s why I eagerly took apart every toy I had.

I just wanted to see what was inside.

“What magical force makes this truck produce sound?”

I had to know!

Luckily, this trait stayed with me.

And it’s helping me gradually increase my naturally low intelligence.

When I approach something, even if I’m familiar with it, I don’t think, “I know how to read a book. I don’t need to read a book about how to read a book…”

Instead, I think, “I know how to read a book, but since there’s a whole book on the subject, there must be things I’m not aware of. I should definitely check it out!”

This leads to an important point:

If you’re not curious, does it mean you’re dumb?

Smartness Without Curiosity I personally know a lot of smart people. Some are successful in terms of income and wealth. Others aren’t.

The difference between the two?

The group of smart folks who fail to make a good living stand still.

Not that they don’t move, go to work, travel, or walk to the fridge for ketchup.

They simply don’t take time to expand what they already know.

The difference between smart and curious people and only smart people is that curiosity helps you move forward in life.

If you shut the door to curiosity, you shut the door to learning. And when you stop learning, you stop progressing.

You must be curious to learn. Otherwise, you won’t even consider it.

If you’re not curious, internally, you don’t think that learning more about what you already know is necessary. You’ve convinced yourself that you already know everything. Why waste time?

Or as the ancient and wise Epictetus once said, “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

Once out of school, the smart but uncurious person feels entitled.

They think they know everything, can quote facts from textbooks, and recite historical dates with precision. But they fail to apply this knowledge in real-life situations. They simply state facts without seeing beyond them.

In contrast, a curious person will recognize their flaws. They will objectively assess their knowledge and realize there is much to learn and do. Therefore, they keep moving upwards, learning and doing.

To put it into perspective, if you’re smart without being curious, you stand still while the world changes. Which, essentially, means you’re falling behind.

when-you-are-smart-but-not-curious Conversely, if you’re curious, even if you’re not incredibly smart, you keep moving forward. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but steadily progressing.

when-you-are-smart-and-curious And if you’re scratching your head thinking, “Is a way to enhance my curiosity?”

Yes, there is…

How To Boost Your Curiosity? Here are three things that work for me:

Reading books, being aware of the curiosity gap, and asking a lot of questions.

Let me elaborate:

Reading books: Even if I’m reading nonfiction, which is 90% of my reading, I view the content as an adventure movie. You embark on a journey through uncharted territory and end up in a completely new place—not geographically, but in terms of beliefs and understanding. Every book, even the less impressive ones, offers a new perspective. And every new perspective helps you identify your blind spots and see things from different angles. Curiosity gap: Often used by copywriters, the curiosity gap makes someone click on an overpromising title while the content underdelivers—i.e., clickbait. But this concept can also boost your general curiosity. When meeting someone, reading a book, or taking a course, instead of only observing what’s visible, ask yourself, “What else is out there? How can this be done better? Are there other books/courses on this topic?” You’re always looking for the gap between what’s visible and what’s potentially out there, motivating you to close it by learning. Ask questions: This overlaps with the previous point but deserves its own mention. Asking questions is the best way to uncover more ground, resolve problems better, and reach your long-term goals. How exactly does asking questions help? Think about this: If you’re not happy with what you’re doing, ask why. Why am I not happy? Why am I not productive? Why don’t I make enough money? Why am I not curious? If the answer is that you don’t think learning is necessary, ask again, Why is that? Regularly asking yourself different questions will motivate you to find answers. And when you start seeking answers, you progress. It sounds simple, but few people do this. Some Closing Thoughts Standardized intelligence means you’ve earned a degree, can state various facts, and wave your diploma, thinking people will care.

In a way, people who are smart without being curious see information as finite. They believe that after finishing a book or a course, they can call themselves experts.

Uncommon intelligence is about never retiring the thought that there is much to learn. So much of what’s out there is unexplored and will never be explored by you. There are millions of books published; it’s impossible to read them all.

For the curious person, this isn’t limiting; it’s exciting. It’s stimulating because there is always something new to learn. By reading that new book, talking to a new person, or taking an unfamiliar route, you approach new things with excitement and open-mindedness.

When you look at life through the lens of curiosity, your life is “the glass is half full” type.

The challenges that try to derail your progress don’t bother you. You approach them with optimism because you know there is so much to learn and do.

So much you don’t know that, when learned, will help you overcome any situation.