How Does Curiosity Change as We Get Older?

Short answer

Curiosity doesn’t simply disappear as we get older.

Some research suggests we may become less interested in seeking out new information or experiences just for the sake of novelty.

But when something genuinely captures our interest, curiosity can remain just as strong and sometimes stronger than it is in younger adults.

So growing older may not make us less curious. We may simply become more selective about what we want to know. 

The Main Findings

• Curiosity doesn’t simply decline with age. Some forms may decrease, while others remain strong.
• We may become more selective. Older adults may be less interested in novelty for its own sake, while remaining deeply curious about subjects that matter to them.
• Something specific can still spark strong curiosity. Research suggests older adults can be just as curious—and sometimes more curious—when a particular question captures their interest.
• Curiosity can support learning. Older adults tend to remember information better when they genuinely want to know the answer.
• Curiosity can still be encouraged. Early research suggests that opportunities to explore personally interesting subjects may help stimulate curiosity and engagement in later life.

Growing older may not make us less curious. We may simply become more selective about what interests us.

What do researchers mean by curiosity? 

Curiosity isn’t just one thing

Researchers tend to look at curiosity in two ways.

The first is trait curiosity—which simply means how curious you tend to be in everyday life. Do you enjoy learning, exploring ideas and finding out how things work?

The second is state curiosity—the curiosity you feel in a particular moment.

You hear something surprising and think, Really? Why is that? Or you come across a question and suddenly want to know the answer.

You may not think of yourself as a naturally curious person, yet still become completely absorbed in something that interests you.

And this distinction matters because our general level of curiosity and the curiosity we feel in the moment may change differently as we get older.

What the research shows

Research shows that curiosity remains very much alive as we get older.

We may become less interested in novelty or stimulation simply for the sake of something new. But when a question or subject genuinely interests us, curiosity can remain strong.

Older adults can still become deeply curious, and that curiosity can help with learning and remembering new information.

So the research doesn’t point to curiosity simply fading with age. What changes may be what we choose to be curious about.

1. General curiosity may decline somewhat, but the effect appears small

Curiosity may become more selective with age. A 2025 study of 1,218 adults aged 20 to 84 found an interesting pattern.

As people got older, they described themselves as slightly less curious in general. But when they were given specific trivia questions, older adults were actually more curious to know the answers.

The differences were small, so this isn’t evidence that curiosity simply fades with age. Instead, it suggests something more interesting: we may become more selective about what captures our curiosity.

The study compared people of different ages rather than following the same people over time, so it can’t tell us whether ageing itself caused the difference.

But the finding raises an intriguing possibility: We may not become less curious as we get older. We may simply become clearer about what we want to know.

2. Curiosity may be more stable than we think

A study of 2,436 adults aged 17 to 92 found that the desire to seek information changed relatively little with age, even though the desire for novelty and stimulation declined.

Researchers also followed 346 people for six to eight years and found only modest changes in curiosity. That tells us something important: Wanting new experiences isn’t the same as wanting to know more.

We may become less interested in novelty simply because it’s new, while remaining deeply curious about things that matter to us. Curiosity may become more focused, rather than simply fading with age.

3. Curiosity may become more selective

A 2025 lifespan study suggests that as we get older, we may become more interested in going deeper into subjects we already care about rather than constantly looking for something new.

That makes sense. We have a lifetime of knowledge and experience to build on. Something new connects with what we already know and leads to another question.

An interest in gardening might lead to soil ecology. History might lead to archaeology.

We may not become less curious. We may simply become more selective about what we want to explore.

4. Different kinds of curiosity may change differently

A 2026 study of 75 younger and 80 older adults found that curiosity didn’t simply decline with age.

Older adults reported more enjoyment in discovering and learning and were more comfortable with the uncertainty of not knowing. Younger adults showed more interest in thrill seeking, other people and exploring their own inner experiences.

The study was small, so we need more research.

But it suggests something important:

Some kinds of curiosity may decrease with age, while others remain strong—or even grow. 

Curiosity and the brain

A 2018 study of adults aged 65 to 89 found that people were more likely to remember answers when they had been curious to know them. Younger adults showed the same pattern.

Other research has found that interest can also help older adults remember information, sometimes even a week later.

Brain-imaging studies in younger adults offer one possible explanation. When curiosity is high, brain systems involved in motivation, reward and memory become more engaged. We don’t yet know whether exactly the same processes occur in older adults.

And the findings aren’t completely consistent. Some studies haven’t found that curiosity always leads to better recall.

So curiosity isn’t a guarantee that we’ll remember something. But the overall research suggests that when we genuinely want to know something, it can help create better conditions for learning and remembering—even as we get older.

Why might curiosity change as we get older?

Research suggests that as we get older, we may become more selective about what gets our attention.

We may be less interested in exploring everything and more drawn to things that feel meaningful or connect with what we already know. Our priorities can change too. Research suggests that as we become more aware of time, we often give more attention to the people and experiences that matter to us.

Curiosity may follow a similar pattern: What matters to me now?

And knowing more doesn’t necessarily make us less curious. Often, it gives us more questions to ask.

Someone who has loved astronomy for years may hear about a newly discovered planet and immediately want to know more. What they already know gives them somewhere to take the next question.

So perhaps curiosity isn’t disappearing. We’re becoming more selective about what we want to explore.

Can curiosity be strengthened later in life?

A small 2021 study of adults aged 65 to 93 gives us an interesting clue. For six weeks, people chose something they genuinely wanted to learn about and followed their own interests.

Curiosity increased, although not enough for researchers to be confident the programme caused the change. Some measures of everyday thinking improved too. The study was small, so we can’t say that curiosity can simply be trained, or that becoming more curious protects against dementia.

But it does raise an interesting possibility: Curiosity may need opportunity.

Give yourself something interesting to explore, a question you want answered or something new to learn, and curiosity has somewhere to go.

So instead of asking, Am I still curious?, perhaps ask: What am I curious enough to explore next?

Curiosity, cognition and later life

A 13-year study of 2,214 adults aged 40 to 81 found that people who were more open to ideas, learning and new experiences tended to do better on several measures of thinking and memory.

Researchers call this openness to experience. It’s related to curiosity, but it isn’t quite the same thing.

And the study doesn’t prove that curiosity protects the brain. People who are already healthier or doing well cognitively may simply find it easier to stay interested and engaged.

The relationship may go both ways: Staying engaged may support how we think, and doing well cognitively may help us stay engaged.

What about curiosity and longevity?

A five-year study of 1,118 older men, with an average age of 71, found that those who were more curious were more likely to be alive five years later. Researchers found a similar pattern in more than 1,000 older women.

It’s an interesting finding, but it doesn’t mean curiosity helps us live longer.

People who are more curious may also be healthier, more active, socially connected or cognitively well.

So we need to be careful about what the research tells us.

Curiosity has been linked with longer survival, but we don’t know whether curiosity itself is the reason. 

Curiosity and wellbeing

A 2025 study of 199 older adults found that people who were more curious also reported a better quality of life.

A 2026 study of adults aged 58 to 77 found something similar: people who were more curious about learning tended to have a more positive experience of ageing. But we can’t say curiosity caused these differences.

Feeling well, being socially connected and having opportunities to explore may also make it easier to stay curious.

The relationship may work both ways: Curiosity may help us stay engaged with life, and an engaging life may help us stay curious.

How much difference does age actually make?

A large 2025 study of adults aged 20 to 84 found that age made surprisingly little difference to curiosity.

General curiosity declined slightly with age, while curiosity about a particular question actually increased slightly. But both changes were small.

So knowing someone’s age tells us very little about how curious they are.

Two people can both be 70 and have completely different levels of curiosity. The same is true at 30.

Age may influence curiosity, but it doesn’t define it. 

What the research suggests

Research suggests that curiosity may become more selective as we get older, rather than simply fading.

With more knowledge, experience and clearer priorities, we may become less interested in everything that’s new and more interested in what genuinely matters to us.

We might ignore the latest trend, then spend two hours exploring a question that fascinates us.

The curiosity is still there.

What captures it may have changed. 

What the research cannot tell us

There’s still a lot we don’t know.

Most studies compare younger and older people rather than following the same people through their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. Researchers also measure curiosity in different ways, which makes studies harder to compare.

And we can’t say that becoming more curious will prevent cognitive decline or dementia, help us live longer, change the structure of the brain or improve every kind of memory.

What we can say is that curiosity has been linked with learning, engagement and wellbeing later in life.

Those connections are encouraging, but they don’t prove cause and effect.

Evidence confidence: Moderate

We can be fairly confident about one thing: curiosity is still very much available to us as we get older.

Older adults can still become deeply curious, and research shows that curiosity can help with learning and memory in some situations.

What’s less clear is exactly how curiosity changes with age. Part of the difficulty is that curiosity comes in different forms. We can be curious about ideas, people, new experiences or simply want to know the answer to a particular question.

And those different kinds of curiosity don’t necessarily change in the same way.

So the research doesn’t support a simple conclusion that curiosity declines with age.

Curiosity may change with age, but getting older doesn’t decide how curious we are.

What this means for everyday life

If you’re no longer curious about everything, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost your curiosity.

You may simply be more selective about what interests you.

Notice what still draws you in. What makes you look something up? What keeps you reading? What leaves you wanting to know more?

Curiosity doesn’t always feel like curiosity.

Sometimes it’s simply: I’d like to know more about that.

Longevity Reimagined reflection

Perhaps one of the quiet risks of growing older isn’t losing our curiosity.

It’s deciding we already know. I’ve seen this before. That’s not for someone my age. I know what I like.

But the research suggests curiosity is still available to us.

So instead of asking: “Am I as curious as I used to be?” try asking: “What am I curious about now?”

Or perhaps: “What have I stopped exploring because I think I already know?”

Age may change what interests us. It doesn’t have to stop us asking questions.

Bottom line

Curiosity doesn’t simply disappear as we get older. We may become less interested in novelty for its own sake, but still become deeply curious about things that matter to us.

And when something genuinely captures our interest, curiosity can still help us learn, remember and stay engaged.

The research doesn’t show that curiosity prevents cognitive decline or helps us live longer. But it does challenge the idea that growing older means becoming less interested in life.

Perhaps the better question isn’t: “Am I becoming less curious?” It’s: “What still makes me want to know more?”

Key research references

Whatley, M. C., Murayama, K., Sakaki, M., & Castel, A. D. (2025). Curiosity across the adult lifespan: Age-related differences in state and trait curiosity. PLOS ONE, 20(5), e0320600.
The largest recent direct investigation of state and trait curiosity across adulthood; 1,218 adults aged 20–84.

Giambra, L. M., Camp, C. J., & Grodsky, A. (1992). Curiosity and stimulation seeking across the adult life span: Cross-sectional and 6- to 8-year longitudinal findings. Psychology and Aging, 7(1), 150–157.
Important because it included both a large lifespan sample and longitudinal follow-up and distinguished curiosity from stimulation seeking.

Sakaki, M., Yagi, A., & Murayama, K. (2018). Curiosity in old age: A possible key to achieving adaptive aging. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
Useful theoretical review bringing together psychological and neuroscientific research on curiosity in later life.

McGillivray, S., Murayama, K., & Castel, A. D. (2015). Thirst for knowledge: The effects of curiosity and interest on memory in younger and older adults.
Shows that motivational interest remains relevant to learning and memory in later life.

Learning facts during aging: The benefits of curiosity (2018).
Two experiments comparing younger adults with adults aged 65–89 found better recall for information that elicited high curiosity in both age groups.

Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity modulate hippocampus-dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit. Neuron, 84, 486–496.
Found that high-curiosity states enhanced memory and involved interactions between motivational and hippocampal memory systems.

Nishita, Y., Tange, C., Tomida, M., Otsuka, R., Ando, F., & Shimokata, H. (2019). Positive effects of openness on cognitive aging in middle-aged and older adults: A 13-year longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, 2072.
Provides longitudinal evidence linking openness—a related but broader personality construct—with cognitive functioning.

Grossberg, A. N., Bettcher, B. M., Gorgens, K. A., et al. (2021). Curiosity-based interventions increase everyday functioning score but not serum BDNF levels in a cohort of healthy older adults. Frontiers in Aging, 2, 700838.
Small experimental pilot in adults aged 65–93 testing self-directed curiosity-based learning.

Swan, G. E., & Carmelli, D. (1996). Curiosity and mortality in aging adults: A 5-year follow-up of the Western Collaborative Group Study. Psychology and Aging, 11(3), 449–453.
Found an observational association between greater state curiosity and survival; important but not evidence that curiosity causes longer life.

Hirsch, M. E., Virk, T., Chang, C., Bellana, B., & Cyr, A.-A. (2026). Exploring perceptions of curiosity in older age: A mixed methods approach. Psychology and Aging.
Shows why treating curiosity as one single quality may obscure meaningful age differences across its dimensions.