Claire Zedelius

Researcher | PhD from @UniUtrecht Studied mind wandering/distraction, curiosity and disinformation at @ucsantabarbara Now tech research at SRG @YouGovAmerica

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

"Perfect" isn't what it used to be. Overheard while getting coffee:
Do you like your chai? Is it enough milk?
-No, it's perfect. If anything it's too much milk. I might just buy myself a tea. It's ok. It's perfect.

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@earthquakesLA Felt it in Pasadena

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@LSchneiderPT @JonathanSchool6 @toddkashdan @GordPennycook Openness to experiences correlates with curiosity, especially interest curiosity. But including openness scales did not really change our findings, so there really does seem to be something unique to curiosity.

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

Excited to share our research on some unexpected downsides of curiosity, including openness to disinformation. You can read it here https://t.co/ZTtzCQYYhi or for the TL;DR, here's the gist.

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@LSchneiderPT @JonathanSchool6 @toddkashdan @GordPennycook Deprivation curiosity is related to need for closure, which describes an intolerance of uncertainty. But we found that need for closure does not explain the lack of discernment. There's something unique to curiosity.

[New Scientist @newscientist]

Curiosity can boost memory and creativity for sharper thinking, yet it can also lead to distraction and procrastination

Here’s how we can make the most of our curiosity while avoiding its pitfalls
https://t.co/dl5F9rHWOb

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@jameshamblin I have that piece of paper. The ink has faded to near invisible. The handwriting was poor to begin with. This was maybe the bizarrest document I submitted in my greencard application. 😅

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@sbkaufman Oh no! She's that type! ;)

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

Curiosity can make you open to disinformation and reluctant to question your beliefs. That's if your curiosity is motivated by uncertainty reduction instead of the joy of exploration.

[PsyPost.org @PsyPost]

New psychology research reveals a dark side of curiosity https://t.co/ZzIpCOlA2k

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@VMLYRKnowledge @YouGovAmerica This research was done at @ucsantabarbara not YouGov. Thanks for your curiosity! 😉

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@TheAtlantic @KatherineJWu What a fun and beautifully written article! To find a paper with a titel like "Semicircular canal size constrains vestibular function..." and formulas in the second paragraph, and then turn it into this - thank you!

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

@LokisNokia I've been Team Luke from the start. Sure, he's a little arrogant, but he's real, and way more fun than Will.

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

Wow, surprised to learn that tyre wear produces almost 2,000 times more particle pollution than the exhausts of modern cars https://t.co/E1K89glrWQ

[Alex Burns @AlexT_Burns]

Devastating news for the "electric cars will solve urban air pollution" crowd https://t.co/ct5yzgW3xF

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

Many thanks to my co-authors @JonathanSchool6 & Madeleine Gross! And thanks for the input, inspiration and foundational curiosity, bullshit and disinformation research, Jordan Litman, @toddkashdan, Nathan Barr and @GordPennycook

[Claire Zedelius @psycdelius]

On the upside: We find that the first type of curiosity, the one characterized by a desire to explore new things (“interest curiosity”), is associated with intellectual humility, and being knowledgeable and discerning of information. And many people are high in both types.