When you are engrossed in something, you can forget the passage of time. There are several elements to this state of engrossment. These elements seem to be goals, autonomy, moderate difficulty, and the fun and enjoyment that comes from them. However, humans are selfish animals. When we achieve our goals too easily, it becomes uninteresting. On the other hand, when it is too difficult and we do not get any closer to the goal, it becomes uninteresting. When there is a very small “gap” between the goal and our own abilities, it becomes interesting, fun, and the state of engrossment.
Curiosity is at work in the act of knowing. Intellectual curiosity is classified into specific curiosity and diffuse curiosity. Specific curiosity is for deepening knowledge, and diffuse curiosity is for broadening the scope of interest. Specific curiosity has a tendency to want to gather information about a certain new and ambiguous subject. We strive to gather information in order to understand what is in front of us. This gathering is called “convergence.” Technological advances are filled with tools to support this convergence. Convergent curiosity is satisfied by the convenient features of AI. However, these convenient features lack one thing. That is consideration for divergent curiosity. Diffusive curiosity has a tendency to seek surprises and new information when bored. AI does not seem to fully satisfy divergent curiosity, which is the desire for new things.
Developmental psychologist Piaget talks about “adjustment” and “assimilation.” Taking in existing knowledge and information is assimilation. And changing your knowledge with new information is “adjustment.” Humans grow as these cycles are repeated. Curiosity also repeats in a similar way. When convergence ends and you become bored, you move on to divergent curiosity, which seeks new things and change. Interest is also maintained by repeating convergence and divergence. To constantly create this interest, you just need to have the opportunity to access things that give you information that is different from your previous interests and concerns. Someone once said, “Love burns when it is placed in an unstable state, and falls apart when it remains stable.” Even if things fall apart or you get bored of things, you can still find new things to experience that are interesting.
