New UCLA Study On Improving Curiosity: What It Misses For Workplace Growth

Forbes

08-05-2025

New UCLA Study On Improving Curiosity: What It Misses For Workplace Growth
A recent UCLA study has sparked interest by revealing that curiosity can increase as people age. The Times and other outlets have shared these findings with headlines like 'Old Dogs Really Can Learn New Tricks,' celebrating the idea that older adults may experience a renewed sense of curiosity later in life. That sounds like good news, but it also raises an important question: what kind of curiosity are we talking about, and does it actually help in the workplace?
The study distinguishes between state curiosity and trait curiosity. State curiosity is that momentary flash of interest when someone hears about a new idea, reads an eye-catching article, or sees a documentary and wants to know more. Trait curiosity is different. It's the deep, sustained drive that leads people to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and seek out growth over time. While the study suggests that state curiosity can increase with age, the author, psychologist Alan Castel, also noted that trait curiosity did not show the same improvement. He explained that while trait curiosity remains relatively stable or may even decline, a rise in state curiosity could serve as a pathway to rebuilding it over time.
That distinction is critical for organizations trying to fuel innovation and performance. In the workplace, it's not enough to occasionally be curious. Lasting curiosity is what leads people to solve complex problems, improve processes, and collaborate more effectively. That kind of curiosity doesn't just happen. It has to be supported.
Why State Curiosity Alone Is Not Enough for Growth
The spike in curiosity described in the UCLA study focuses on situational curiosity, the kind sparked by personal interests or random encounters with something new. While this is encouraging, it isn't the type of curiosity that consistently improves performance or engagement at work. The kind that does is trait curiosity, and that's much harder to cultivate.
The danger in promoting state curiosity as the full solution is that it gives organizations a false sense of progress. If employees are showing interest in one-off learning moments or surface-level exploration, it may look like curiosity is thriving. But if they aren't following through, challenging norms, or applying that interest to real work, the benefits are short-lived.
How Trait Curiosity Drives Real Workplace Impact
Trait curiosity is tied to long-term cognitive resilience and behavioral adaptability. It's what keeps people asking questions even when things are working 'well enough.' It fuels continuous improvement. It encourages people to speak up when they see risks, explore alternatives when resources are limited, and keep learning even after formal training ends.
That kind of sustained curiosity is what leads to bottom-line results. In recent research studying executives across multiple industries, 80% of small to midsize companies reported saving over $100,000 annually due to increased innovation, communication, and efficiency tied to curiosity-based initiatives. Larger companies saw that number exceed $1 million. These weren't major transformations led by consultants or billion-dollar tech. They were the result of people consistently asking better questions.
What Stops Curiosity From Taking Hold in the Workplace
One reason trait curiosity doesn't flourish is that it's often shut down, sometimes unintentionally. My research found that there are four key factors that inhibit curiosity at work: fear, assumptions, technology, and environment.
Fear can show up in the form of hesitation. Employees may avoid asking questions because they don't want to appear uninformed. Assumptions lead people to think they already know what will happen if they try something new. Technology can be a barrier when people rely on shortcuts or avoid learning more robust tools. Environment plays a role when leaders discourage experimentation or reward predictability over insight.
These four barriers, what I call the FATE factors, don't just appear out of nowhere. They build up over time. And unless they're addressed directly, they will smother even the most promising curiosity spike.
How Organizations Can Turn Curiosity Into Long-Term Growth
The solution is to build the kind of culture where trait curiosity can grow. That starts by removing fear of failure, questioning outdated assumptions, using technology as a tool instead of a crutch, and creating an environment that encourages exploration without punishment.
Give employees the chance to explore projects that matter to them. Encourage them to ask 'why' and 'what if' in meetings without worrying about judgment. Provide opportunities for self-directed learning that align with their actual interests, not just compliance. And measure curiosity over time to see whether engagement, communication, and innovation are improving.
Why This Study On Curiosity Still Matters And Where It Falls Short
The UCLA study is a helpful reminder that curiosity doesn't disappear with age. If anything, it can be reignited. But reigniting something and keeping it lit are two different things. Just because someone finds a new topic interesting doesn't mean they'll take the next step without support.
For curiosity to create lasting change, it has to move beyond a passing interest and become a way of thinking. That means changing behavior, removing barriers, and tracking progress. None of that happens passively.
The Bottom Line On Curiosity And Aging At Work
This new research is a good start, but it doesn't address what organizations actually need. A moment of interest doesn't lead to mastery. A spike in curiosity doesn't guarantee innovation. What matters is whether that interest becomes a habit, a mindset, and eventually a driver of business results. Leaders looking to create real change should not settle for temporary sparks. They need to invest in the structures and support that allow curiosity to thrive long term. Because when trait curiosity becomes part of the culture, everything from performance to retention to employee satisfaction improves, and those are the outcomes that matter most.