As a state, it is a temporary response to specific situations, such as feeling compelled to look at a car stopped by the side of the road. As a trait, however, it can manifest itself as a consistent drive to explore, learn, and seek out new experiences, that varies between people. This trait is linked to the personality trait referred to as openness (see Big Five model.)

Curiosity is often divided into two forms. Perceptual curiosity arises from unexpected or contradictory information that creates a sense of discomfort, like the urge to glance at a car crash. In contrast, epistemic curiosity is a more positive drive, fueled by the anticipation of learning, such as wanting to understand phenomena like rainbows, quantum entanglement, or ancient human history.

Several theories attempt to explain what drives curiosity. For instance, Daniel Berlyne suggested that curiosity helps us balance between boredom, which occurs when a situation has too little change or difficulty (understimulation), and anxiety or confusion, which arise when things become overly complex or ambiguous (overstimulation.) Later, George Loewenstein’s “information gap” theory proposed that curiosity emerges when a new experience cannot be explained by our current understanding, prompting us to seek the missing information. In this sense, curiosity helps us adapt to and better understand our environment.

Edward Deci argued that curiosity is intrinsically motivated, driving people to seek novelty and challenges for the inherent pleasure of learning and growth. Similarly, Marvin Zuckerman viewed curiosity as a component of sensation-seeking, where individuals pursue intense, novel, and sometimes risky experiences to satisfy their desire for stimulation.