Curiosity and mesolimbic functional connectivity drive information seeking in real life

Abstract

ABSTRACTCuriosity reflects the intrinsic motivation of an individual to seek information in order to close information gaps. Laboratory-based experiments have shown that both curiosity and information seeking are associated with enhanced neural dynamics in the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit. However, it is unclear whether curiosity and its associated neural dynamics in the dopaminergic circuit drive information seeking in real life. The present study investigated (i) whether curiosity traits predict different characteristics of real-life information seeking and (ii) whether functional connectivity within the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit is associated with information seeking outside of the laboratory. Up to 15 month before the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted curiosity and anxiety questionnaires as well as a 10-minute resting-state fMRI session. In a follow-up survey early during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants repeated the questionnaires and filled out an additional questionnaire about their COVID-19-related information seeking. Curiosity but not anxiety remained stable over time. Individual differences in curiosity were positively associated with the frequency of information-seeking behaviour. Anxiety during the pandemic was not linked to any characteristics of real-life information seeking. Interestingly, the frequency of information seeking was also independently predicted by individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens. The present translational study paves the way for future studies on the role of curiosity in real-life information seeking by showing that curiosity drives information seeking in real-life situations and that the curiosity-promoting mesolimbic dopaminergic functional network supports the frequency of real-life information-seeking behaviour.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCuriosity is a key driver of learning and information seeking in everyday life. However, the temporal stability of curiosity traits, their relationship to real-life information seeking, and the associated dopaminergic brain activity are poorly understood. The present study provides evidence that curiosity traits are stable over time – even through a major event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic – and that both curiosity and intrinsic functional connectivity within the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit are associated with the frequency of real-life information seeking. These findings contribute to a better understanding of cognitive and neural differences that shape how individuals seek out information and may offer the opportunity to help individuals with suboptimal information-seeking behaviour that negatively affects their well-being or mental health.