Curiosity is a cornerstone of cognition that has the potential to lead to innovations and increase the behavioral repertoire of individuals. A defining characteristic of curiosity is inquisitiveness directed toward novel objects. Species differences in innovative behavior and inquisitiveness have been linked to social complexity and neocortical size [18]. In this study, we observed behavioral actions among nine socially reared and socially housed capuchin monkeys in response to an unfamiliar object, a paradigm widely employed as a means to assess curiosity. K-means hierarchical clustering analysis of the behavioral responses revealed three monkeys engaged in significantly more exploratory behavior of the novel object than other monkeys. Using voxel-based-morphometry analysis of MRIs obtained from these same subjects, we demonstrated that the more curious monkeys had significantly greater gray matter density in the precuneus, a cortical region involved in highly integrated processes including memory and self-awareness. These results linking variation in precuneus gray matter volume to exploratory behavior suggest that monitoring states of self-awareness may play a role in cognitive processes mediating individual curiosity.

Morbid curiosity, or the seemingly paradoxical drive to engage with aversive or grotesque stimuli, has long puzzled psychologists, who have traditionally framed it as either a form of sensation-seeking or a mechanism for unambiguous threat learning. The current article proposes a novel adaptationist model positioning morbid curiosity as an evolved cognitive mechanism specifically tuned to resolve ambiguity surrounding survival-relevant stimuli. Drawing on evolutionary theory, cognitive psychology, and neurobiological evidence, I argue that morbid curiosity functions primarily as an uncertainty-reduction strategy, motivating individuals to approach ambiguous stimuli to clarify their threat or benefit. Unlike basic emotions such as fear or disgust that typically trigger immediate avoidance, morbid curiosity fosters cautious approach behaviors aimed at gathering survival-critical information. The proposed model thereby reconceptualizes morbid curiosity as an adaptive, ambiguity-oriented cognitive system, offering novel insights into broader questions about human motivation, information-seeking, and adaptive cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Contemporary medical AI systems exhibit a critical vulnerability: they deliver confident predictions without mechanisms to express uncertainty or acknowledge limitations, leading to dangerous overreliance in clinical settings. This paper introduces the BODHI (Bridging, Open, Discerning, Humble, Inquiring) framework, a dual-reflective architecture grounded in two essential epistemic virtues: curiosity and humility, as foundational design principles for healthcare AI. Curiosity drives systems to actively explore diagnostic uncertainty, seek additional information when faced with ambiguous presentations, and recognize when training distributions fail to match clinical reality. Humility provides complementary restraint, enabling uncertainty quantification, boundary recognition, and appropriate deference to human expertise. We demonstrate how these virtues function synergistically in a dynamic feedback loop, preventing both reckless exploration and excessive caution while supporting collaborative clinical decision-making. Drawing from psychological theories of curiosity and cross-species evidence of epistemic humility, we argue that these capacities represent fundamental biological design principles essential for systems operating in high-stakes, uncertain environments. The BODHI framework addresses systemic failures in medical AI deployment, from biased training data to institutional workflow pressures, by embedding uncertainty awareness and collaborative restraint into foundational system architecture. Key implementation features include calibrated confidence measures, out-of-distribution detection, curiosity-driven escalation protocols, and transparency mechanisms that adapt to clinical context. Rather than pursuing algorithmic perfection through pure optimization, we advocate for human-AI partnerships that enhance clinical reasoning through mutual accountability and calibrated trust. This approach represents a paradigm shift from overconfident automation toward collaborative systems that embody the wisdom to pause, reflect, and defer when appropriate.

is the driving force behind human development, such as progress in science, language, and industry. Curiosity can be considered to be an evolutionary Curiosity (from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus "careful, diligent, curious", akin to cura "care") can be a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. It can also refer to something (an event, object, person, etc.) which can cause curiosity. When it is for an object it may be called a curio, and a collection of cu Curiosity (from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus "careful, diligent, curious", akin to cura "care") can be a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. It can also refer to something (an event, object, person, etc.) which can cause curiosity. When it is for an object it may be called a curio, and a collection of curios or curiosities may be stored together as a collection called curiosities. The term curiosity can also denote the behavior, characteristic, or emotion of being curious, in regard to the desire to gain knowledge or information. Curiosity helps human development, from which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill. Curiosity as a behavior and emotion is the driving force behind human development, such as progress in science, language, and industry. Curiosity can be considered to be an evolutionary adaptation based on an organism's ability to learn. Certain curious animals (namely, corvids, octopuses, dolphins, elephants, rats, etc.) will pursue information in order to adapt to their surrounding and learn how things work. This behavior is termed neophilia, the love of new things. For animals, a fear of the unknown or the new, neophobia, is much more common, especially later in life. Morbid curiosity is focused on death, violence, or any other event that may cause harm physically or emotionally. It typically is described as having an addictive quality, associated with a need to understand or make sense of topics…