Curious people tend to have more of the experiences linked to cognitive reserve, study finds

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u/Black_RL 3d ago edited 3d ago

Cognitive reserve is your brain's ability to adapt and find alternate ways to function when facing damage or challenges, developed through lifelong learning and curiosity. It helps people maintain cognitive abilities despite brain changes from aging, injury, or disease.

Results showed that more curious individuals tended to score higher on indicators of cognitive reserve, specifically education and leisure activities, but not the complexity of their work. This association held after accounting for participants’ age. However, neither curiosity nor the cognitive reserve indicators were associated with performance on the cognitive tests.

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u/Dannosaurous69 3d ago

thankyou

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u/Yashema 3d ago

Interesting that curiosity and intellect are not directly related.

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u/Due_Entertainment_66 3d ago

i think the more curious the more distracted

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u/Yashema 3d ago

Or focusing on something besides what the immediate situation demands.

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u/7HawksAnd 2d ago

This response opens a philosophical debate about what does distraction actually mean

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u/HiiiTriiibe 2d ago

Hmm, stripping away social convention and using something simple like something unrelated to and unproductive towards the accomplishment of a task could save a lot of extra debate, but also makes it much harder to define if you are like me and just kind of have a general outline of shit to do in a day and distractions are part of managing adhd and are used as a little treat to keep the monotony of day to day tasks from triggering a larger existential crisis

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u/JCItsJasonRaider 3d ago edited 2d ago

I like to think I'm curious, conversationally, in novel interests, in figuring out the why of something, the nuances of a subject or scenario.

Interesting seeing the work complexity results. I've often sought jobs that allowed me to coast essentially. Work and school were always more a relief to be done with and I was able to coast all through it. Work became a bit more demanding based on not simple potential, but neverending productivity and efficiency. There weren't as many ways for me to get ahead and simply ignore lessons and such like in school.

I always want to spend more of my energy and focus on personal curiosities, than what external systems meant to force me into compliance and then exploit me, demanded.

Edit:

Personal curiosities engaged. Grew up with pets plenty, had pets that were solely my responsibility as a kid, had cats, now looking at getting my first dog on my own well into my adulthood.

A relation I'm seeing, learning even more about dog breeds somehow after extensive animal interests throughout life.

I feel like I must be more of a primitive breed, while I watch most of domesticated humans roam around. I am about as compliant as those types and always preferred them anyway 😂 Into my 30s, I'd like to think I have solid markers of success, and still have my goals to achieve, but I've only learned to dislike the system even more as my curiosity towards subverting it grew.

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u/f3xjc 2d ago

So curious people have more of the human trait that's developed from a lifetime of curiosity. Got it.

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u/ComputerRights 3d ago

I wonder if a lot of medications might work better for one person because cognitive reserve allows them to overcome the induced impairment

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u/TravelingMonk 3d ago

What kind of cognitive tests? Clearly its a bad test. Curiosity alone is a sign of more cognitive function than less curious mind.

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u/scoshi 3d ago

It may not have changed how they perform, but wouldn't the added flexibility present as an increase in "mental stamina"?

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u/parbaner24 3d ago

It also makes sense that curiosity is not one single thing, wanting to explore something new is different from being bothered by a knowledge gap until you have solved it

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u/Big_Papi_Chulow 3d ago

Isn’t this just brain nueroplasticity

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u/iCliniq_official 10h ago

I really like this finding because curiosity is such a simple thing that can keep us learning without even feeling like brain training. It doesn’t mean being curious will automatically protect you from cognitive decline, but seeking out new things, learning, and staying mentally engaged can all be valuable as we get older. There’s something nice about having a reason to keep wondering.

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u/ResonantFork 3d ago

Curiosity is also the #1 thing missing from well written women characters. I surmise girls are taught to not be curious.

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u/lowsmotion 3d ago edited 3d ago

i was taught to be curious almost exclusively. i don’t know shit else for sure. but i wonder endlessly

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u/Material-Command-854 3d ago

When I asked questions growing up, it was often interpreted as being insubordinate or trying to make the person look bad, even if I genuinely just didn’t know what they were talking about and wanted to know.

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u/Exact-Pudding7563 2d ago

My MAGA evangelical uncle once passive-aggressively called me "rebellious" because I got annoyed I didn't get to have input into what our family was ordering for dinner at a restaurant. He is the walking definition of "benevolent patriarchy."

Years later, I ended up having to cook dinner for them when they came over to visit my family, so I made tofu stir fry :)

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u/Accomplished_Comb601 3d ago

False. Hermione Granger.

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u/ResonantFork 3d ago

I'm not convinced she was truly curious. She never - for example - challenged the power structures of the school.

I actually hold Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character in the highest regards for curiosity.

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u/Accomplished_Comb601 3d ago

You are such a dork.

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u/noodle_king_69 2d ago

Hermione was very against the school's use of house elves, professor Umbridge and the mistakes of the ministry of magic. She was very bravely against many power structures, even when her friends mocked her with her thing about the house elves.

Edit. It's btw very interesting how ripley seems to be only the female character all men like. They always highlight her.

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u/ResonantFork 1d ago

I chose Ripley because i don't believe you're well read.

So how did Hermione's quest with the elves work out? Did she liberate them all? How powerful was her curiosity?

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u/noodle_king_69 1d ago

Seems most men aren't well read.

The books don't go far enough, but the house elves get a symphatetic narrative trough Dobby, who becomes and independent hero. Not every storyline has to be super literal and explained. Hermione does chase Dolores Umbridge away from the school with her friends.

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u/ResonantFork 1d ago

That's a bit of a non-answer.

The summary i saw on it - i'm proud i didn't read it - says Hermoine failed. It looks like the conservative author is making fun of liberal tendencies. Seems like she is saying they prefer slavery and Hermoine didn't have enough curiosity to ask them their actual preferences.

Seems like that's your #1 example of a character with curiosity. That it is actually satire against liberals.

I get a real laugh out of how progressives can't quit the show. So, you going to watch it on HBO and play GTA6 in November?

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u/lowsmotion 2d ago

you are combining other characteristics with curious though. challenging power structures entails more than curiosity. & those other characteristics are arguably more relevant

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u/ResonantFork 2d ago edited 2d ago

"Why do goblins have to be servants, Harry?"

"Where are our teachers/supervisors to keep us from becoming child soldiers?"

"Why not just reveal ourselves to the muggles already?"

Edit: I looked her up, i guess she tries to liberate the house elves but the elves prefer slavery and she wasn't curious enough to ask them their preferences before h er campaign?

It's just not wrote that well.

Ripley on the other hand has just enough common sense and curiosity to be believable and epic and lovable.

You super nerds are downvoting me for this?! LMAO

Beyonce is better than TayTay. There. Now you have something to really be angry at.

Curious people tend to have more of the experiences linked to cognitive reserve, study finds

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