Interpersonal Curiosity Research Articles

Interpersonal Curiosity: A Missing Construct in the Field of Human Development

Children demonstrate a remarkable capacity for both intellectual and interpersonal curiosity, reflecting their desires to know about the physical, material, and natural world and about the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of other people. Yet the study of curiosity and its educational applications have focused almost exclusively on the former, even though interpersonal curiosity may be critical for social emotional learning, human connection, and the capacity to understand and take the perspective of others. In this paper, we review the research on intellectual and interpersonal curiosity, focusing on the latter and including our own research that indicates that it is associated with social emotional wellbeing, academic engagement, and a sense of common humanity (Author, 2023; Authors, 2024). We also review research on how ecological contexts (e.g., of families and schools) shape curiosity, how contextual variation may lead to individual variation (i.e., by gender and age), and offer directions for future research.

The two-way relationship of interpersonal curiosity and daily envy

Objective Envy and interpersonal curiosity are common emotional and psychological phenomena in relationships that collectively influence our social behavior and experiences. However, there is a research gap regarding the interaction between interpersonal curiosity and envy. Therefore, this study will primarily utilize daily diary methods to investigate the relationship between interpersonal curiosity and envy. Method Using the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale and the Chinese Adolescents’ Interpersonal Curiosity Questionnaire, Study 1 conducted a preliminary study on 392 middle school students using cross-sectional data. Based on the data from Study 1, we selected the ten items (2 items per variable) with the highest factor load for the daily measurement of Study 2. Study 2 utilized the diary method and recruited 81 adolescents as participants for a 14-day measurement period. Results The results of Study 1indicate a significant correlation between malicious envy and interpersonal curiosity, as well as a significant correlation between benign envy and interpersonal curiosity (excluding general interpersonal curiosity). The findings from Study 2 indicate that daily malicious envy can enhance private interpersonal curiosity and general interpersonal curiosity, daily benign envy can enhance curiosity exploration, and daily curiosity exploration can also enhance benign envy. Discussion This study enhances comprehension of the two-way relationship between adolescent envy and interpersonal curiosity within the framework of social comparison theory. The findings underscore the significance of adolescents recognizing and respecting others’ boundaries to mitigate the adverse effects linked to malicious envy. Furthermore, adolescents are encouraged to channel benign envy into a source of motivation, fostering personal growth and fostering positive relationships through curiosity exploration.

Interpersonal curiosity as a tool to foster safe relational spaces: a narrative literature review.

Interpersonal curiosity (IPC), or the desire for information about others, is a core component of human connection, belonging, security, survival, and flourishing. Current research on leveraging IPC is scarce, making it an overlooked mechanism for building safer relational spaces. This narrative literature review attempts to answer the following questions: how can IPC facilitate safe relational spaces? How can this knowledge be made accessible and actionable for readers working in relational fields or public health? Results from the analysis of 23 articles indicate that IPC can manifest as either a trait or a state. At best, IPC can be a powerful tool for connection. At worst, IPC can lead to non-prosocial behaviors and relational disruptions. Suggestions are provided to harness the potential of IPC to foster quality connection and safer relational spaces.

Interpersonal Curiosity and its Association With Social and Emotional Skills and Well-Being During Adolescence

While intellectual curiosity has been widely studied in the field of child development, interpersonal curiosity and its association with social and emotional skills and well-being has rarely been investigated. This mixed-methods study explored the dimensions of interpersonal curiosity, examined how each dimension was associated with social and emotional skills and well-being, and investigated the moderating role of gender among middle school students. 389 seventh-grade students in seven public middle schools in New York City (Mage = 12.52; 48% female) completed an online survey that included an interpersonal question-generation measure. The sample was racially/ethnically diverse: Asian (36%), White (29%), Latino/a (16%), African American (13%), and Other (6%). Content analysis guided by grounded theory approach revealed four dimensions of interpersonal curiosity: Curiosity about Me (15%), Curiosity about You (33%), Curiosity about Our Relationship (3%), and Curiosity about Your Relationships (6%). Results indicated that the dimensions of interpersonal curiosity were positively associated with social and emotional skills and well-being, and that gender moderated such associations. Our findings suggest the need to investigate this multidimensional construct and consider it a core component of healthy adolescent development.

I Really Know You: How Influencers Can Increase Audience Engagement by Referencing Their Close Social Ties

Abstract Despite firms’ continued interest in using influencers to reach their target consumers, academic and practical insights are limited on what levers an influencer can use to enhance audience engagement using their posts. We demonstrate that posting stories with or about people whom they share close ties with—such as family, friends, and romantic partners—can be one effective lever. Content that incorporates close social ties can be effective for several reasons: it may increase perceptions of authenticity, enhance perceived similarity, increase the perception that the influencer possesses more warmth, and could satisfy viewers’ interpersonal curiosity. We analyze texts and photographs of 55,631 posts of 763 influencers on Instagram, and after controlling for several variables, we find robust support that consumers “like” posts that reference close social ties. Furthermore, this effect enhances when first-person pronouns are used to describe special moments with these close ties. We supplement the Instagram data with an experimental approach and confirm the relationship between close ties and consumer engagement. Managerially, this is a useful insight as we also show that sponsored posts tend to be perceived negatively compared to non-sponsored posts; yet, embedding social ties on the sponsored posts can mitigate consumers’ negative responses.

Development of an Interpersonal Curiosity Scale:

This study aimed to develop an Interpersonal Curiosity Scale. In Study 1, a questionnaire with a preliminary pool of 56 items was administered to undergraduates, and from these, 11items were selected. The main survey was administered to college students (n = 839) and as a web-based survey (n = 1,500). Factor analysis revealed three factors: curiosity about personal emotions, curiosity about privacy, and curiosity about personal attributes. Cronbachʼs alpha showed that these subscales had sufficient reliability. In Study 2, the validity of the Interpersonal Curiosity Scale was examined using the Five-Dimensional Curiosity Scale, the Sensation Seeking Scale, the Multidimensional Empathy Scale, and the Psychological Well-being Scale. The results of correlation analysis confirmed the validity of the three subscales. Implications about using the Interpersonal Curiosity Scale are further discussed.

How anxiety predicts interpersonal curiosity during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediation effect of interpersonal distancing and autistic tendency

With the worldwide implementation of quarantine regulations to suppress the spread of the COVID-19, anxiety, interpersonal distancing and autistic tendency may decrease individuals' desire to seek interpersonal information and thus might have negative effects on their interpersonal curiosity. Through behavioral paradigms and scales, two studies were conducted (Study 1: n = 570; Study 2: n = 501). We explored the predictive effect of anxiety on interpersonal curiosity in situations when mandatory isolation measures have led to dramatic changes in interpersonal distancing and autistic tendency. We found that interpersonal distancing and autistic tendency negatively predicted interpersonal curiosity, and these predictive effects suppressed the positive prediction of state anxiety to interpersonal curiosity. Our research provides insights into the relationships among anxiety, curiosity, interpersonal distancing, and autistic tendency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why so curious? Validation and cross‐cultural investigation of the Hindi Epistemic Curiosity Scale

Epistemic curiosity (EC) is the motive and need to seek knowledge. The present work entails validation of the English EC Scale translated into the Hindi language. Study 1 comprised confirmatory factor analysis of the Hindi scale using a sample of 223 bilingual Indians (143 females). The 10‐item two‐factor structure with Interest and Deprivation subscales was validated for the Hindi EC Scale. Convergent and discriminant validity was established, and model fits were assessed separately for males and females, along with measurement invariance testing. In Study 2, linguistic invariance testing and cross‐cultural comparisons were undertaken for a sample of 151 Indians (93 females) and 219 Americans (179 females) for the EC scales, to assess similarities in the underlying factor structure. Indians did not differ from Americans in their responses to the English EC Scale, but slight differences were observed for the Hindi EC Scale, suggesting an interplay of language and culture. Further, independent t tests compared the two samples on measures of curiosity, gossip, personality, and affect. Americans had a higher tendency toward interpersonal curiosity and agreeableness whereas Indians scored higher on intellect. Cross‐cultural and linguistic differences as well as future work are presented. In sum, the Hindi EC Scale is a valid and reliable instrument that can facilitate further translations into other Indian languages.

Interpersonal Curiosity (IPC) and Event Relate Potentials (ERP): Evidence that Desire to Reduce Uncertainty underlies IPC Activation in the Brain

Interpersonal Curiosity (IPC) and Event Relate Potentials (ERP): Evidence that Desire to Reduce Uncertainty underlies IPC Activation in the Brain

Why do people use microblogs? An empirical study of Plurk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that affect how people maintain their friendships by using information on Plurk. Design/methodology/approach – This study extended the Theory of Planned Behavior model to include both interpersonal curiosity and reciprocity. Data were collected via an online survey with 220 valid samples. The respondents answered the survey questionnaire based on their past experiences using Plurk. The proposed research model was assessed using structural equation modeling as performed in the LISREL program. Findings – The attitude toward using Plurk for maintaining friendships is the strongest predictor of intention to use, followed by perceived behavioral control. The findings indicate that reciprocity has the strongest effect on attitude toward using Plurk for maintaining friendship, followed by subjective norms and interpersonal curiosity. An analysis of the research explained 61 percent of the variance in attitude toward using Plurk for maintaining friendship, and 73 percent of the variance in intention to use Plurk for maintaining friendship. Research limitations/implications – This study only focussed on a limited number of factors, and as a result, the effects of some variables, such as personal characteristics, may have been overlooked. In the future, researchers can extend this model by incorporating more variables into the analysis of maintaining friendships via Plurk. Practical implications – As microblogging firms compete for online customers, it would be useful to gain some understanding of the possible effects of reciprocity and interpersonal curiosity on users’ intention to use Plurk for maintaining friendships. As firms compete for internet marketing, managers should know the potential use of Plurk as an effective channel to promote their products and services to whoever needs them. Originality/value – From the literature available in the public journal databases, no existing research model was found to explain the behavior of Plurk users on microblogs. The paper fulfills this objective.

Why Are Humans Curious? Concept, Functions and Theories of Interpersonal Curiosity

人际好奇是个体对他人的信息产生的好奇，其中包括对他人的生活经历、生活习惯和细节，以及想法、感受、动机产生的好奇。人际好奇受到个体性别、年龄、个体状态、人格和文化价值观等因素的影响，而且人际好奇在人际关系的建立与维持、人格判断、文化学习和维护社会规范等方面有积极影响。人际好奇可以用本能论、信息缺口理论、兴趣一剥夺理论和社会比较理论加以解释。目前对人际好奇研究较少，未来需从毕生发展的角度探索人际好奇，研究网络中的人际好奇现象，进一步完善人际好奇的测量方式，加强基础研究和实证研究，考虑文化因素的影响等。

Types of interpersonal curiosity: A progress report on the development of interpersonal curiosity scale

Types of interpersonal curiosity: A progress report on the development of interpersonal curiosity scale

Electrophysiological evidence for the importance of interpersonalcuriosity

Interpersonal curiosity (IPC) is an important intrinsic motivation in social interaction, yet studies focused on its neural mechanism are rare. In a three-agent (Self, Other, or Computer) interactive gambling task, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to a cue stimuli indicating whether participants will be informed of their own, of another participant's or the computer's outcomes such that curiosity will be satisfied (CWS) or curiosity will not be satisfied (CWN). The results showed that relative to the CWS cue stimuli the CWN cue evoked a larger late positive component (LPC) between approximately 400ms and 700ms after cue onset in both the Self and Other conditions, but not in the Computer condition. Additionally, participants reported stronger curiosity in the Other's outcomes than in the Computer's outcomes. Most importantly, participants’ subjective rating of curiosity was significantly correlated with the amplitude of the LPC elicited by the CWN cue. Furthermore, scores in the “curiosity about emotion” subscale of the IPC Scale was significantly correlated with the LPC amplitude when the participants learn they will not be informed of the Other's outcomes. We suggest that (1) interpersonal information is of great significance to individuals and IPC is an important social motivator, and (2) LPC amplitude is sensitive toIPC.

How Do U.S. Students Perceive Trans Persons?

This study explored undergraduate students’ interpersonal responses, namely general feelings toward and desire for further social interaction with trans persons in a helping context. Secondarily, this study explored the relationship between participants’ intrinsic empathy, interpersonal curiosity and interest in further interaction. Two hundred fifty-one undergraduates at a moderate sized university in the southeastern United States served as participants. In order to assess baseline levels of empathy and curiosity, participants in session 1 completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Scale (Davis 1983) and the Interpersonal Curiosity Scale (Litman and Pezzo 2007). One week later, during session 2, the same students assumed the role of a peer counselor and read 1 of 4 (male, female, male-to-female, female-to-male) randomly assigned versions of an intake form completed by a fictitious peer client. Each version was identical, with the exception of the gender identity of the peer client. Participants completed various measures of affect and interest in further interaction. Male participants reported less willingness to interact with, and the strongest negative feelings toward the FTM peer client. Men reported highest willingness to interact with the MTF client and showed the lowest negative reactions towards the MTF client. Female participants’ scores on willingness to interact and on negative reactions were similar across all four intake form versions. Contrary to expectations, baseline levels of empathy and curiosity did not impact responses to gender expression. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the factors associated with anti-transgender prejudice particularly in the context of helping relationships.

Dimensionality of interpersonal curiosity

Interpersonal curiosity (IPC) is the desire for new information about people. Fifty-one IPC items were administered to 321 participants (248 women, 73 men), along with other measures of curiosity and personality. Three factors were identified from which five-item subscales were developed that had good internal consistency: Curiosity about Emotions, Spying and Prying, and Snooping. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the three-factor model had acceptable fit. The IPC scales correlated positively with other curiosity measures and interest in gossip, providing evidence of convergent validity. Divergent validity was demonstrated in finding the other curiosity scales correlated more highly with each other than with IPC; parallel results were found for the gossip measures.

Lost in Familiar Places: Creating New Connections Between the Individual and Society

In this little book, the authors have chosen the formidable task of integrating psychoanalytic concepts into group and organizational dynamics. Their central theme is how individuals can use introspective understanding of their own lives to further their understanding of their group's dynamics. They begin by establishing the notion that, because we live in a rapidly changing social environment, the stability we used to experience in our social institutions no longer seems a reliable reference point from which to establish our sense of who we are. As a result, as the title suggests, many of us are lost in familiar places. First, the family is examined to explore how the individual interfaces with his first group experience. The authors introduce the concept of personal boundaries and how excessive certainty and a lack of interpersonal curiosity may stifle a child's ability to negotiate her interpretation of her innner and outer environment. A

Curiosity and stimulation seeking across the adult life span: cross-sectional and 6- to 8-year longitudinal findings.

Giambra (1977-1978, 1979-1980) found that 2 scales of the Imaginal Processes Inventory measuring curiosity (i.e., information seeking) did not change across the adult life span, but 2 measuring stimulation seeking (i.e., boredom) for external stimulation need significantly decreased with age. In this study, these outcomes were replicated (1,356 men and 1,080 women 17 to 92 years old). In addition, a 6- to 8-year longitudinal repeat was obtained on 222 men and 124 women. Significant longitudinal declines were obtained for the stimulation-seeking measures. Furthermore, women showed an increase in impersonal-mechanical curiosity and a decline in interpersonal curiosity, though the amount of change was modest. Men were unchanged on both curiosity measures. Gender differences in longitudinal changes apparently reflected effects of socialization as well as tendencies toward displaying increased androgyny with advancing age.

Sex differences in daydreaming and related mental activity from the late teens to the early nineties.

Using the Imaginal Processes Inventory, aspects of daydreaming and associated mental activity were examined for sex differences in 1200 well educated middle and upper-middle class whites aged seventeen to ninety-two ninety-two years. Females reported higher levels of daydreaming and nightdreaming frequency and emotional reactions to daydreaming as well as more daydreams of a problem solving nature. Females also reported lower levels of daydreams of a sexual, bizarre-improbable, heroic and achievement-oriented nature. Most sex differences persisted over the life span with the difference for sexual daydreams increasing with increasing age level. Except for problem-solving daydreams, all daydreaming contents investigated decreased with increases in age. Across the lifespan problem-solving daydreams were the most likely for both sexes except for seventeen to twenty-nine year old males where such daydreams were second most likely; from age seventeen to twenty-nine sexual daydreams were most likely for males. After age forty, achievement oriented daydreams were relatively more important for females than for males. Females across the lifespan also reported more interpersonal curiosity than males while males exhibited more curiosity about things. Unexpectedly, male curiosity about things was equally as strong as their curiosity about people.

Daydreaming across the life span: late adolescent to senior citizen.

Using an instrument developed by J. Singer and J. Antrobus, aspects of daydreaming and related mental activity were examined in males of 7 age groups from 17 through 91. Daydreaming frequency declined linearly with age. A linear decline was also observed in absorption in daydreaming, daydreams with future temporal settings, affective reactions in daydreams, imagery and vividness in daydreams, and content involving sex, bizarre-improbable events, achievement, hostility, heroism, fear of failure, and guilt. No decline was observed for acceptance of daydreams, impersonal and interpersonal curiosity, mentation rate, past and present temporal setting in daydreams, and daydreams involving problem solving. Problem solving daydreams were predominant at every age except the youngest where sexual daydreams were predominant. A factor analysis revealed seven factors, four of which involved age. It was concluded that daydreaming reflected current concerns and did not reflect suppressed desires.