Is it genuinely the thirst for knowledge that assists us in learning, and if so, why?
David Janitzek
2026-03-23
2 min. read
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Students pose questions and seek solutions – it is something that every gifted educator perceives as their calling. And at the center of this entire process lies the thirst for knowledge. When children are eager to learn, it is much easier to engage them in a challenging educational process. What exactly is the thirst for knowledge and how does it work? The biochemistry of the brain undergoes changes when we become eager to learn, which aids us in learning and storing information better.
Our brains and our curiosity
Nineteen volunteers were asked to examine more than 100 questions, such as: What does the term dinosaur mean? Which of the Beatles' singles stayed on the charts for 19 weeks? Participants assessed each question as to how interesting the answers were. Then all participants reviewed the questions and answered them, while the researchers monitored brain activity using MRI. When the participants' curiosity increased, the activity of the reward system also increased.
Curiosity also helps us to absorb inadequate information
The researchers showed random facial images without giving the participants any explanation -- people whose curiosity had already been aroused earlier had better facial memory -- and this proves that interesting brains are better at learning not only topics, but also other things -- even random, boring information.
The evolutionary basis
It's hard to explain why we actually have such a high speed of learning. You can look at it from an evolutionary perspective. Researcher Charan Ranganath believes it's because of our innate struggle with uncertainty. The more we know about the world, the more likely we are to survive its dangers. Another unknown is why some people seem naturally more interested in the world.