Why do people seek out information about an ex's new relationships, read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful? Because humans are born with the need to resolve uncertainty, according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will seek to avoid their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will hurt.
In a series of four experiments, the students were tested on their willingness to expose themselves to disgusting stimuli (刺激物)in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one trial, each participant was shown a pile of pens, half of which would deliver an electric shock when clicked. Twenty-seven students were informed of the exact pens; another 27 were told only that some were electrified. When left alone in the room, the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and brought more shocks than the students who knew what would happen. The following experiments copied this effect with other stimuli, such as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of disgusting insects.
The drive to discover is deeply-rooted in humans, just like the basic drive for food, says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, a co-author of the paper. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct (本能)——it can lead to new scientific advances, for instance—but sometimes such inquiry can backfire. "The insight that curiosity can drive you to do self-destructive things is a profound one," says George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and phychology at Carnegie Mellon University who has pioneered the scientific study of curiosity.
Morbid (病态的) curiosity is possible to resist, however. In a final experiment, participants who were encouraged to predict how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to choose to see such an image. These results suggest that imagining the outcome of following through on one's curiosity ahead of time can help determine whether it is worth the risk. "Thinking about long-term consequences is key to reducing the possible negative effects of curiosity," Hsee says. In other words, don't read online comments.
