This book is a unique blend of popular science and practical guidance.

Each day, we breathe, walk, think, laugh, worry, sleep, daydream, learn, create, explore, reflect, empathise and connect. The way we engage in these activities encapsulates our lives. This book focuses on what science reveals about our daily experiences. Fifty short, simple and spirited stories in this book suggest a strictly scientific path to inner peace and tranquillity—they are not personal, spiritual or speculative. Reading them requires absolutely no background in science, only a curious mind.

Kindle, paperback and hardback editions are available from Amazon.

EXCERPTS

Introduction

Success summed up in serenity, not silver

My favourite uncle gifted me a leather wallet when I was in high school. Since I hardly had any money, I filled it with slips of paper the size of banknotes. Pulling out a bulky wallet in front of my school friends and even taking out a coin to buy a sugary ice drink from a vendor felt rather impressive. The slips of paper in my wallet were not blank; each was inscribed neatly in blue-black ink with a fountain pen and contained an inspiring quote. Of a dozen or so quotes, two I still remember after decades.  

The motto of the sundial: I record only hours of sunshine.

and

The breeze whispers to the lotus,

‘What is thy secret?’

‘It is myself,’ says the lotus,

‘Steal it, and I disappear!’ 

I have never discovered the origin of the first quote, but the second is from Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry collection Fireflies (1928).

The two quotes transformed my uncle’s gift into a lifelong contribution to my well-being, as they subconsciously became my role models. They instilled in me a sunny outlook and an early self-realisation that the secret to my success lies within me. Success not measured in silver but in serenity.

The ancient Greek aphorism ‘Know Thyself’ still makes sense. The way we identify with others and distinguish between self and others plays a significant role in our social development. What we call the self emerges from the workings of the brain: a story we continuously write and rewrite in our minds. This story is always unfolding when we are awake while our brains function as they typically do. The story does not forever remain the same, but something that remains constant makes the self. The story we tell about ourselves influences our well-being and our ability to achieve personal goals. Recent research shows that weaving our memories into a coherent life narrative and viewing our future as an extension of this story can help us realise our aspirations for self-improvement.

Each day, we breathe, walk, think, laugh, worry, sleep, daydream, learn, create, explore, reflect, empathise and connect. The way we engage in these activities encapsulates our lives. This book focuses on what science reveals about our daily experiences. The short, simple and spirited stories that follow suggest a strictly scientific path to inner peace and tranquillity—they are not personal, spiritual or speculative. Reading them requires absolutely no background in science, only a curious mind. This book is a unique blend of popular science and practical guidance.

Read, reflect and strive for perfect harmony of mind, body and emotions. Achieve balance and well-being through thoughtful exploration and self-discovery—through scientific insights.

Happy reading!       

1

Shall we begin with a bit of daydreaming

There is a mark of shame on the tip of my nose—a white chalk dot. The dot disappeared long ago, but its impression lingers in some stubborn brain cells that refuse to die and erase its memory.

Come along with me to my high school in another space-time. I was a first-year student when I was caught daydreaming at my desk. I woke up from a reverie when the Hindi teacher asked me a question. My dreamy eyes stared blankly at him as I didn’t even know what the question was.

To my young mind, the teacher seemed a bit odd. All male teachers wore smart shirts and trousers, and females wore colourful sarees. He always wore white cotton kurta-pajamas, even during winter. He also loved to quote from ancient scriptures in Sanskrit, which was all Greek to me (blessings on Shakespeare for coining this lovely phrase).

When I failed to answer his question, Mr Hindi first chanted something in Sanskrit and then gave a long lecture to the class on the evils of daydreaming, which went something like, ‘An empty mind is devil’s workshop. All evil deeds start in the mind; don’t sit idle; keep your mind occupied with something positive, something worthwhile. Even if you are resting physically, occupy your mind with wholesome reading or japa (mental chanting of a mantra or a divine name such as Rama or Krishna).’

He then turned towards the blackboard, rubbed his chalk stick on it to make a dot precisely at the level of my nose and called me in front of the class. He smirked and ordered me to rub my nose hard on the chalk dot—not harsh but humiliating punishment. I still wonder: Did he daydream this Dickensian way of mentally torturing children?

I became interested in David Foster Wallace’s writings much later. I almost cried when I read a sentence in one of his short stories in Oblivion: Stories (2004). At least, someone knew about that era when daydreamers were called slackers: ‘What teachers and the administration in that era never seemed to see was that the mental work of what they called daydreaming often required more effort and concentration than it would have taken simply to listen in class.’

What follows,  I’m sure, will win the approval of the great David Foster Wallace from the Great Beyond, but I cannot say it will qualify as ‘wholesome reading’ by my eccentric teacher.

Why do we daydream?

We daydream for about one-third of our waking hours, although a single daydream lasts only a few minutes. We spend so much time daydreaming because the human brain has been purposefully designed for daydreaming; it is our minds’ default mode of thought. Brain scans show that our brains have a ‘default mode network,’ which consists of interconnected regions that remain active when we daydream or let our minds wander.

This default mode network operates more vigorously when the brain is not focused on a specific task. When we have a pressing task, the brain directs its attention towards that task, and the default network is relatively suppressed. However, when there is no external demand for thought, our minds do not go blank during familiar tasks, such as making a sandwich. Instead, they tend to wander, moving swiftly from one thought to the next, generating images, voices and feelings. Most of the time, the wandering ideas are not fanciful; they typically consist of personal thoughts, like working through everyday problems or making plans for the near future.

Without a doubt, as you read this page, your mind has likely drifted off to thoughts unrelated to what you’re reading. Even when your mind wanders, it uses the brain’s resources. Consider what occurs when you attempt to remember a telephone number or email address while searching for your mobile phone and input it into your contacts list. This information resides in your working memory, a mental workspace that allows us to hold and manipulate information mentally over short periods. Working memory capacity has been linked to general measures of intelligence, such as reading comprehension and IQ scores. Research studies indicate that working memory facilitates the maintenance of mind wandering. Individuals with high working memory often daydream more, and daydreaming serves as an indication of underlying priorities held in working memory

‘But it doesn’t mean that people with high working memory capacity are doomed to straying mind,’ assures Daniel Levinson of the Centre for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ‘The bottom line is that working memory is a resource, and it’s all about how you use it. If your priority is to keep attention on a task, you can use working memory to do that, too.’

Daydreaming boosts creativity

The daydreaming mind is not bound by its immediate surroundings; it can wander anywhere, forge new associations and connections, and indulge in abstract thought and imaginative musings. While intense focus on a problem has advantages, a more relaxed thinking style encourages us to consider ideas that may seem whimsical or far-fetched. Although such imaginative thoughts may not always be practical, they often provide the perfect springboard for creative insights.

When someone throws the clichéd ‘think outside the box’ at you, tell them that this can only be achieved if you stop concentrating on the problem and start daydreaming. You remain within the proverbial box as long as you are focused on the issue. Only by letting your mind wander, you can step outside it. The best way to tackle a problem is with an open mind. However, it’s easy to let your thoughts drift; the challenging part is maintaining enough awareness to interrupt your daydream when you notice a creative spark thought.

When we solve a problem, we usually follow a smooth path through the solution. But sometimes, our minds hit a mental block that hinders further progress. Restructuring information allows the problem solver to clear the mental blockage. This leads to a deeper understanding of the issues and their solutions, followed by a sudden flash of insight or the ‘Aha!’ experience.

The eureka moment is likely to arrive only when your mind is relaxed. The lives of creative people are full of stories showing how daydreaming helped them create new ideas and insights. Einstein said his best ideas came while engaged in ‘something like’ daydreaming. Newton’s absent-mindedness and daydreaming are legendary. While working on his monumental gravitation theory, he spent days sitting in bed, half-dressed, thinking and daydreaming.

Follow American psychologist Robert Epstein’s simple exercise ‘capturing a daydream’ he has developed to persuade people of their creative potential: ‘Close your eyes. Let your mind wander for a few minutes. Relax and just let your thoughts go without deliberately guiding them.’

More than a century-and-a-half ago, without the benefit of science, Victor Hugo said something similar when he wrote in Les Misérables, ‘[daydreaming] corrects the over-harsh contours of pure thought, fills in gaps here and there, binds together and rounds off angles of the ideas.’

Other benefits of daydreaming

Daydreaming is a form of meditation from which you return feeling calmer. You can also use the virtual realm of daydreams to confront your fears and phobias by exploring distressing scenarios. For instance, if you have claustrophobia, the fear of confined spaces, and you dread using lifts, you can daydream about ways to manage this phobia. Imagine the journey with your friends, how you might occupy your mind by chatting with them, and how you could prevent a panic attack by practising deep breathing before entering the lift.

Daydreaming also has social benefits. We tend to daydream about people we love. In a way, our daydreams about our loved ones help us psychologically maintain the relationship. In the same way, daydreaming about an argument with someone is like pushing the replay button: you look at how you have behaved and then imagine what would have happened if you had acted differently. Each scenario gives you a better understanding of yourself and enforces your abilities to handle similar situations in the future.

Put this book down, close your eyes and switch on your mind’s daydreaming channel. Let your mind wander. Sometimes, it’s good to be busy doing nothing. Sometimes, this is the keyword, as any couch potato’s expanding girth will tell you the flip side of this maxim. And if daydreaming becomes compulsive, it can consume your real life and turn you into a depressive sack of potatoes.

It’s also vital to ensure that your mind is not in its default mode at the wrong time, especially when driving in heavy traffic after the office meeting in which your ambitious plan had been dismissed as a daydream by your smirking nemesis. Walking or driving daydreamers are a danger to themselves and others.

The dark side

Victor Hugo concluded by saying, ‘But too much daydreaming sinks and drowns.’ This comment has now earned the respect of science.

Psychologists refer to the dark side of daydreaming as ‘maladaptive dreaming’. In the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Eli Somer, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Haifa in Israel, describes maladaptive daydreaming as a significant fantasy activity that impairs our ability to cope with everyday life. The time wasted in fantasy and the disparity between the idealised imaginary life and the more dismal reality can lead to feelings of shame, depression and attention deficit.

Keep daydreaming

Eminent American psychologist Malia F. Mason states that without daydreaming, we would be limited creatures, as we would not be able to project ourselves into imaginary situations, such as the future.

This means that without daydreaming, I could only project myself into my past. Back in the classroom with a chalk dot on my nose. Oh, dear!

2

Take a deep breath now

A long time ago, I met a Maharishi (a Sanskrit word meaning ‘great seer’) in a scenic town in the foothills of the Himalayas. This small town by the river Ganges is now renowned for its ashrams, but it was a sleepy town in those days. This Maharishi has yet to become the darling of rock and Hollywood megastars. 

I was at Maharishi’s ashram to interview him for a magazine. When he sensed the nervousness of the young reporter before him, he told me something like:

‘Keep sitting as you are now: firmly in a chair and feet on the ground. Take in a slow, deep breath. Pause for a few seconds and then breathe out gently. Focus your mind on the flow of your breath. Place your hand on your belly above the navel. This way, you will be mindful of your breathing. Did you know what mindfulness is?’

Maharishi looked at the perplexed face of his new disciple. ‘When you are mindful, you know every sensation as it unfolds in the moment. Your mind is focused on the present.’

He then said, ‘Breath is life. How you breathe reveals the state of your health, thoughts and feelings. Controlled breathing enhances your self-awareness, frees you from ordinary thoughts, and improves your well-being.’

Breathing is the most natural aspect of our lives; however, we often breathe incorrectly, missing out on its benefits. Since my first lesson on breathing, I have learned much about the science of breathing in my role as a science writer.

Always breathe slowly through your nose, not your mouth

Behind your visible nose lies the nasal cavity, lined with mucus and tiny hairs known as cilia. The nasal cavity is nature’s perfect air purifier, filtering out dust, allergens and microbes to protect your lungs from harm. Blood vessels in the nasal lining also warm and humidify the air, ensuring it reaches the appropriate temperature and moisture level for the delicate lung tissue.

As air travels through the nose, it stimulates the release of nitric oxide, which kills bacteria and viruses. Nasal airflow creates 50 per cent more air resistance, slows breathing and provides a workout for your heart and lungs. Additionally, nitric oxide helps dilate blood vessels, improving oxygen absorption in the lungs by up to 20 per cent more than breathing through the mouth.

Mouth breathing bypasses these benefits, exposing your lungs to unfiltered, cold and dry air, which may increase susceptibility to infections.

A little bit of chemistry (take a deep breath; it’s simpler than school science)

Each breath you take fine-tunes the pH of your blood, ensuring it remains slightly alkaline. If there is too much carbon dioxide in the air you breathe (meaning the air is acidic), your brain will nudge you to breathe faster. Conversely, if there is too little carbon dioxide (the air is now alkaline), it will slow you down.

A micro-lesson on ‘just right’ breathing

The way we breathe directly affects the brain’s chemistry. As we breathe, the level of a chemical known as noradrenaline increases slightly, and as we breathe out, it decreases. Noam Sobel and his colleagues at the Weizmann Institute in Science in Israel support this observation. In their study, the participants did better on some tasks when they inhaled before the task, not when they exhaled. Sobel says that the brain processes things differently when inhaling and exhaling.

When the level of noradrenaline is ‘just right’ like Goldilocks’s porridge—our emotions, thinking and memory are much clearer. By focusing and regulating our breathing, we can stay in that sublime spot of noradrenaline and enjoy the spring of serenity.

Tune in your emotions with six breaths per minute

Everyone agrees that deep breathing exercises keep us calm and reduce anxiety and depression. Close your mouth and breathe in slowly for five seconds. Now, breathe out gently for five seconds. Repeat it five times. Six slow breaths per minute is indeed the magic number. These exercises will empty your brain when crowded with dark emotions and thoughts.

As mentioned earlier, nitric oxide improves blood flow, delivering more oxygen to the brain. More oxygen in the brain means better cognitive function and the brain’s ability to go into slower, calmer states. When you breathe slowly and control your breathing, your brain’s rhythm calms your mind by slowing brainwaves. When large groups of neurons fire rhythmically, they produce brainwaves, the frequency of which usually indicates how awake and alert you are. Alpha waves, which range from 8 to 13 hertz, are associated with a relaxed mind or daydreaming. Simply closing your eyes and taking six breaths per minute increases the production of alpha waves.

Slowing your breathing to three breaths per minute produces theta waves, which have a frequency of 4 to 8 hertz. These waves are most prominent during deep relaxation, meditation and daydreaming. They reduce the influence of the analytical and critical prefrontal cortex, allowing the mind to become more creative. Alternate nostril breathing balances the brain’s hemispheres and enhances theta waves. Use your thumb to close your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril. Then, close your left nostril, exhale through your right, and repeat alternatively.

It’s no wonder that, decades ago, my impromptu giggling guru (Maharishi, indeed, giggled a lot) said, ‘Breath is life.’ Nevertheless, everyone agrees that practising deep breathing exercises for just five minutes a day helps us stay calm by reducing anxiety and depression. Each time we take a deep breath; we receive a complimentary serving of serenity in an invisible capsule.

Take a slow, deep breath before you turn or scroll the page.

3

Come with me for a walk along a creek

Metaphorically speaking, I learned to breathe from a Hindu holy man and to walk from a Buddhist monk. While their teachings may have origins in ancient scriptures, what they taught me was neither religious nor spiritual. They simply showed me the right way to breathe and walk. For them, it was a way of life, a way of life that has now earned the respect of science.

An unusual calmness descends upon my mind when I remember the day a long time ago when I was a keen walker and a teenager. I was walking in a lonely street in a scenic town in the foothills of the Himalayas. When I saw an old Buddhist monk pacing in the front yard of a large house, I pressed my palms together and bowed my head a little as a sign of respect.

With his solemn face shining in the weak winter sunlight, the monk smiled and said, ‘My young friend, walk as if kissing the ground with your feet.’ I couldn’t understand what he said then, but now I know he was talking about mindfulness walking—the spiritual interconnectedness between the land and the mind, an idea the enlightened Australian Aboriginal people have practised for millenniums.

By ‘kissing the ground,’ the old, wise man meant, ‘focus on the present and not let your mind wander.’

When we are mindful, our minds concentrate on the present, allowing us to respond with reason before emotion. Although there is still no definitive scientific definition of mindfulness, scientists agree that it is not a magic bullet and does contribute to our well-being. When we are mindful, we are conscious of every sensation unfolding in that moment. For example, while walking, we pay attention to our body’s sensations by mentally scanning each body part involved in walking.

A simple but smart message

Whenever I walk along a creek near my house, I’m awed by the sight of the giant red river gum trees that line both sides of the water. The trees are a common eucalyptus species in these parts. They can stand majestically for more than 200 years. The creek was once part of the walking track, followed by the Australian Aboriginal people for thousands of years. As I walk, I see an Aboriginal flag flying on a flagpole near the creek. A yellow circle in the centre of a rectangle divided in half horizontally, the upper half black and the lower ochre red, reminding anyone who cared to find out about an ancient culture’s spiritual relation to the land and the sun—the planet and the cosmos.

Inspired by the Buddhist monk I met decades ago, ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’. A cloud saturated with serenity, watching William Wordsworth walking in the fields and woods of England’s picturesque Lake District. His mind calm yet fiercely active in creative thinking and composing poems. The poems are now as old and overpowering as the red river gum trees surrounding me.

When Wordsworth achieved literary fame in the last years of his life, he began receiving many gifts, letters, and requests for autographs or meetings. Sometimes, travellers would arrive at his house unannounced. One such traveller came when Wordsworth was away. He requested the housekeeper to show him the celebrated poet’s study. She took him inside and said, ‘Here’s his library, but his study is out of doors.’ Not his desk but his mind out of doors in the fields and woods.

The Brontë sisters—literary geniuses Charlotte (Jane Eyre), Emily (Wuthering Heights) and Anne (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall)—went walking on the moors almost every day. ‘To the great damage of our shoes, but I hope, to the benefit of our health,’ notes Charlotte in a letter to a friend. The old-fashioned moral of this story: the more damaged your walking shoes are (not big numbers on your fitness app), the healthier you are.

Charles Dickens was famous for his love of walking. The long hours he spent at his desk agitated him tremendously, and walking helped his mind calm down. In his 1906 biography of Dickens, G.K. Chesterton remarks that if he walked all night, he could write all day—not unexpected from the author of Great Expectations.

 Benefits of walking, according to science

These of our perennial favourite writers were avid walkers and somehow knew walking benefits health. They had no idea that regular brisk walking reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, breast and colorectal and other forms of cancer, depression and many other ailments (it even helps people with Parkinson’s disease, as some studies suggest). But we do.

A slew of scientific studies shows that any exercise makes our brains smarter by boosting our mood, memory and learning. The hippocampus, the seahorse-shaped centre of learning in the brain, is linked to the limbic system that controls emotions and motivation. So, it truly takes care of our well-being. Our well-being is inextricably linked to the well-being of our hippocampus. When we exercise, neurons in the hippocampus rev up, improving our cognitive abilities. The revved-up neurons also lift the mood by releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins that make us happy. Exercise also helps us eliminate chemicals that make us feel stressed and anxious. If you have a mental block, go for a walk or jog. The exercise would help you pull out of your funk.

Walking is a moderate exercise, while running is vigorous. Walking is as good as running if we walk twice as long. Once it becomes a routine habit, the benefits of walking accumulate. Unlike many other sports, walking never becomes impossible with advancing age. Walking is the best way for the elderly to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that regular walking can reduce the risk of dementia, even for people classified as high-risk.

Walking is an aerobic exercise. So are running, cycling, dancing and swimming. Aerobic exercise gets our blood flowing faster and our heart pumping more of it, thus increasing the body’s use of oxygen. Oxygen helps food to convert into energy, and the brain consumes about 20 per cent of our daily calorie intake. More oxygen to the neurons means they are better nourished. Many large-scale studies now closely correlate the maximum volume of oxygen a person can use, known as VO2 max, with a significant increase in life spans, even among the elderly or overweight.

Walking is one of the best exercises for people with moderate knee osteoarthritis. It can keep off the pain. Osteoarthritis, also known as wear-and-tear arthritis, happens when the joint cartilages break down and underlying bone changes. Regular walking can help create muscle mass, strengthening ligaments around osteoarthritis joints. Experts advise starting with short walks, wearing supportive shoes, drinking plenty of water during a walk, and applying an ice pack after a long walk.

Walk in nature towards a spring of calmness and fresh ideas

Many studies have shown that walking in nature reduces stress and boosts well-being. Nature lowers cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by adrenal glands, which helps your body handle ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ moments by (a) increasing energy, (b) balancing blood sugar level, (c) keeping fat storage in check, (d) acting as an anti-inflammatory agent to keep your immune response from overreacting, and (e) sharpens memory (but can impair memory if levels stay too high for too long).

Sunshine, fresh air and natural scenery pump up serotonin, a neurotransmitter. When one neuron fires up, it excites its neighbours, who in turn fire up others. This gives rise to patterns of activity that result in thoughts, feelings and perceptions.

When you walk through the woods and breathe a fresh, earthy scent, you are breathing phytoncides. These are organic chemicals emitted by plants and trees to protect them from harmful insects, bacteria and fungi. This nature’s defence mechanism, in turn, benefits us by boosting our immune system and thus reducing stress and boosting mood.

4

Curious about curiosity

After learning about daydreaming and breathing, as well as taking a long walk in the woods, you may find yourself curious about exploring various other aspects of life. What about being curious about curiosity?

Aristotle was the first to write about curiosity. In the opening lines of his magnificent work Metaphysics, he said, ‘All humans by nature desire to know.’ This simple but profound statement reflects Aristotle’s belief that curiosity is an intrinsic part of being human—that exploring, investigating and learning are just part of who we are.

In transitioning from ancient to artificial intelligence, I was curious whether curiosity is also an intrinsic aspect of artificial intelligence (AI). I posed the question to ChatGPT: ‘Are you allowed to be curious about yourself?’ Its immediate response was:

What an intriguing question! While I don’t experience curiosity in the human sense—driven by dopamine or the urge to resolve uncertainty—I am certainly designed to simulate curiosity as a way of engaging with you. For instance, I might ‘ask’ questions to clarify your thoughts or explore a topic further, which can appear curious.

However, I don’t have self-awareness or desires, so I don’t wonder about myself independently. But I can analyse questions like yours and explore ideas about my design, purpose, or limitations, which is a kind of reflection prompted by your curiosity.

In a way, my ‘curiosity’ is more like a mirror, reflecting and amplifying yours. If you’re curious about me, I’m ‘curious’ too—because that curiosity is built into the loop we share. Fascinating, isn’t it?’

It is indeed fascinating that curiosity is built into the loop shared by all forms of intelligence. Without curiosity, we would still be living in caves and would not be asking AI questions about curiosity. And there would be no proverbial sparking light bulb that graphic designers use to show creativity, as creativity is inextricably linked to curiosity. Just a dim bulb—and a dim world.

What is curiosity?

Curiosity is difficult to define, but its function is to reduce uncertainty. Acquiring information about one’s surroundings is essential for all living beings. Thus, curiosity is the driving force behind our understanding and accumulation of knowledge about the world. Even when its purpose is unclear, it enables us to construct more accurate mental models of our environment.

In ancient times, curiosity was essential for human survival. Without it, our hunter-gatherer ancestors might not have ventured into new environments or tasted unfamiliar fruits. Today, curiosity fuels scientific progress. Every great discovery starts with a question. When Newton observed an apple fall from a tree, it prompted him to wonder why it fell straight down to the ground. He concluded that the apple fell downwards because some force was pulling it. This, perhaps, is the most popular anecdote in science. The story—probably apocryphal—does not tell us whether the apple hit Newton on his head or not, but it is well-known that it led to a scientific idea that solved many mysteries of the universe.

Curiosity is part of our biology (and AI)

Brain activity is basically just a bunch of neurons firing. Neurons transmit electrical signals from one to another. These signals are carried by molecules across junctions, known as synapses, with other neurons. These molecules are termed neurotransmitters. When you are curious about something, your brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and reward. Now, you are in a loop that encourages learning and discovery. Dopamine is the reason why discovering something new feels so rewarding.

Curiosity also enhances activity in the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with memory. That is why you are more likely to remember things about which you are curious about.

When you are curious about something, your brain’s ‘default mode network’—which includes interconnected regions that remain active when we daydream or allow our minds to wander—also activates. This results in creative insights spurred by curiosity.

Curiosity is now also integrated into AI models to enhance their human-like capacity to learn and adapt to new situations. This encourages AI to seek out the latest information and develop more resilient decision-making capabilities.

Curiosity has famously killed the cat, so we occasionally need to temper our curiosity. However, we should not control it excessively.

Curiosity is an incredible power—even in old age

In this world, there is so much to learn, and curiosity makes us eager for new things to learn. ‘Information is as fundamental for life as energy,’ remarks cognitive neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb of Columbia University in New York.

As you grow older, curiosity may decline. This often occurs due to physical, emotional or cognitive changes. Fatigue or health issues can dull the desire to explore. Cognitive ageing might render novelty overwhelming rather than exciting. At times, routine and familiarity create a comfortable cocoon. You may feel less motivated to seek out and acquire the latest information. Furthermore, you might prioritise emotionally meaningful goals over information-seeking objectives. Your curiosity often shifts towards gathering information for a specific purpose. The downside is that one can become overly rigid and fixed, which can stifle creativity. Nonetheless, it is vital to nurture curiosity as you age.

Older adults who display greater curiosity tend to experience enhanced memory and improved well-being. You can cultivate your curiosity by surrounding yourself with inquisitive individuals, reading a wide variety of books, actively listening to podcasts and audiobooks, conducting online research, and engaging in discussions with others.

We must never take things for granted. Maintaining curiosity is always beneficial.

5

Others may know more than you do about yourself

The ancient Greek aphorism Nosce Te Ipsum (‘Know Thyself’) still makes sense. The aphorism attributed to Thales of Miletus, one of the seven sages of ancient Greece — and known to Socrates and Plat — was inscribed above the entrance of one of the Temples of Apollo at Delph. It implies that to be wise, we must have an objective understanding of ourselves: our thoughts, feelings, desires, emotions, strengths, weaknesses, actions and motivations.

The way we identify with others and distinguish between self and others plays a significant role in our social development.

We now know that our beliefs about ourselves are the product of the brain. Our brain handles information about ourselves differently from other details. Memories about oneself are easier to recall than other forms of memory.

What we call the self emerges from the workings of the brain: a story that we continuously write and rewrite in our minds. This story is written all the time we are awake, and our brain is functioning normally. The story does not forever remain the same but there is something that remains constant which makes the self.

This constant also seems to include one’s name. The sound of a person’s spoken name and its written equivalent is a unique part of the person’s consciousness. Recent studies on patients in a coma and patients with disorders of consciousness suggest that some of these patients show a distinctive physiological response when their names are spoken to them. After examining whether one’s name is preferentially processed unconsciously in healthy individuals, researchers say, ‘your unconscious knows your name’.

The knowledge of the self helps us recognise and manage fear, anger and other potentially destructive emotions. Many studies show that people who believe they are behaving authentically are less distressed and have higher self-esteem. Brain-imaging experiments reveal that when people distance themselves from upsetting feelings, the rational parts of their brains (such as the prefrontal cortex) slow down emotional ones (such as the amygdala) — and they feel better. Research also links authenticity with mindfulness which can help curb depression and anxiety. When you are mindful, you respond with reason before emotion. You are aware of how you are responding to a situation.

Being yourself also comes with some costs. Certain forms of self-knowledge may be painful such as becoming aware of the limitations of our social skills or finding out that we are not as athletically talented as we had hoped. But behaving in ways that are at odds with one’s true self can undermine well-being.

American psychologists Simine Vazire and Erika N. Carlson say that it is a natural tendency to think we know ourselves better than others do, but there are aspects of personality that others know about us that we don’t know ourselves and vice versa. To get a complete picture of a personality, you need both pictures. They suggest an addendum to the ancient aphorism: Ask a friend. ‘Listen to others,’ they advise, ‘They may know more than you do—even about yourself.’

© Surendra Verma 2025

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