The Curio Blog

Curiosity, and what makes it stick.

Short, source-backed writing on attention, memory and why some ideas stay with you — from the people building Curio.

Psychology

Curiosity pays before the answer arrives

In one study, reward-related brain activity rose while people read a question they could not answer. In another, that state improved memory for something unrelated.

· 2 min
Psychology

Shocking news preserves confidence, not consistency

Studies of memories for 9/11 found that details changed as much as ordinary memories, while vividness and confidence stayed unusually high.

· 2 min
Reading

Paper Shows a Small Average Comprehension Edge

Matched-text studies find a modest paper advantage, but timing, genre and study design complicate what that average can explain.

· 3 min