Do Humans Have a More Curious Nature Than Our Ape Relatives?

Curiosity is a fundamental trait of human nature. Discover the evolutionary reasons why humans are so curious and the benefits it brings.

By Conor Feehly
Jul 25, 2023 3:00 PM
Female chimpanzee and baby
(Credit: GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock)

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Arguably, one of the defining features of humanity is our curiosity. We’ve built microscopes to peek into the world of the very small, and we’ve built telescopes to see the world of the very large.

And though the natural world is often the subject of our curiosity, so are other people — and even ourselves. When someone tells you they have a secret, for example, you can’t help but wonder what they might be concealing.

But is our propensity for curiosity really that unique? Isn’t curiosity exercised, in some way, by all manner of creatures and critters? In a new study, a collaborative group of researchers from Germany and the U.S. set out to try and answer this question.


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