"There's a long-standing notion that ostriches like to "bury" their heads in the sand when they see something dangerous approaching. Supposedly, the logic behind this is that if they can't see the threat, then it technically isn't there. This idea, as amusing as it is, has long since been debunked. Ostriches don't actually do this-but, ironically, we humans often do."
"This "the less I know, the better" mindset is surprisingly common in adulthood. What's less obvious, however, is where we learn it from. After all, children are famously (even annoyingly) curious. They're permanently asking questions and always wanting to know more. So, when is it that we move from this relentless curiosity in childhood to the selective avoidance we see in adults?"
Information avoidance is the active decision to turn away from information that is free, readily available, and highly relevant to the individual. Adults avoid information across many consequential life domains, often choosing not to know bank balances, relationship concerns, or distressing news about war or climate change. Children display high curiosity, persistently asking questions and seeking to learn. The developmental shift moves from relentless childhood curiosity toward selective avoidance in adulthood. Researchers traced the roots of this shift by studying children to understand when and why curiosity gives way to motivated ignorance and emotional avoidance.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]