Make Curiosity Your Superpower

When was the last time you let yourself be truly curious?

As children, we were basically question machines. Between the ages of two and five, it’s estimated we ask about 40,000 questions. That’s not a typo. Everything was up for grabs — from “Why is the sky blue?” to “Why can’t I wear socks on my hands?”

But somewhere along the road to adulthood, that wonder starts to fade. We exchange questions for assumptions, uncertainty for control. And by the time we’ve grown-up, we’re down to asking perhaps ten questions a day — most of them practical, not playful.

The thing is, curiosity isn’t just something we grow out of — it’s something we need to grow back into. Especially when it comes to our mental health.

Nurturing Curiosity Is a Key to Psychological Flexibility

In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), one of the core goals is building psychological flexibility — the ability to be open to our thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed by them, and to choose actions that align with what really matters to us.

Curiosity plays a quiet but powerful role in that process.

When we’re curious, we become less reactive. We stop clinging to thoughts like “I can’t do this” or “I always mess up,” and start asking things like: “What’s happening here?” “What story is my mind telling me right now?” “Is this thought helpful?”

That simple shift from judgment to curiosity creates space. Space to breathe, to respond instead of react, to move forward in a more intentional way.

Bringing ACT to Life with Mind to ACTion

This is where the Mind to ACTion training from Bonmotus really shines. It's designed to help people bring ACT into real-life situations and experiences that show up in the middle of your everyday life: difficult conversations, self-doubt spirals, decision fatigue, you name it.

And a key part of that training? Re-learning how to be curious — about your mind, your emotions, your body, and your values.

Instead of trying to fix or fight uncomfortable experiences, Mind to ACTion encourages you to explore them. To pause. To say, “Okay, this is showing up… now what?”

Curiosity doesn’t make the discomfort go away — but it helps you relate to it differently. With more kindness. More presence. And a lot less struggle.

How to Start Cultivating Curiosity (Again)

If you are a bit out of practice these days with curiosity, that’s okay. Here are a few small ways to help you bring curiosity back into your day:

• Notice your thoughts like clouds passing by. Ask: What’s my mind up to right now?

• Tune into your body. Instead of avoiding a feeling, get curious: Where do I feel this? What does it need?

• Slow down your reactions. When something annoys you, pause. Ask: What else might be going on here?

• Ask “What matters to me here?” — especially in moments of conflict or choice.

• Explore the present moment. Can you look at a familiar thing as if it’s the first time you’ve seen it?

Curiosity Is a Practice — and a Gift

The world doesn’t often reward curiosity the way it does certainty. But learning to meet life with a little more wonder and a little less judgment? That’s where freedom lives.

And if you’re looking for a structured, practical way to build these skills — check out the Mind to ACTion training from Bonmotus. It’s an approachable, evidence-based path to rediscovering curiosity and turning it into real, sustainable action.

Curiosity isn’t just something we had as children. It’s something we can choose again — and it might just change everything.