curiosity may be the key to longevity (and freedom)
I recently came across a study that lit me up inside. It talked about how curiosity, good old-fashioned wonder and the desire to learn, is actually linked to a lower risk of dementia in older adults. Isn’t that incredible? The researchers found that when people stay curious, especially about things that feel personally meaningful, their brains stay sharper, longer. As someone who’s built her life around asking hard questions and encouraging others to do the same, this felt like a little “Amen” from the universe.
But it also got me thinking: what happens when curiosity is stifled? Where does that spark go when it's not safe to ask, wonder, explore?
For many of us who grew up in high-control religious environments, curiosity wasn’t exactly welcomed. In fact, it was often seen as dangerous. Questions were met with suspicion. Doubt was labeled as rebellion. And the deeper we tried to dig, the more we were told to stop.
Now, before I go too far down that road, I want to say this: religion can be beautiful. It can offer real comfort, connection, and community. I’ve experienced it myself. Here are a few ways religion can serve us:
It gives a sense of belonging—shared rituals, meals, worship. There’s something sacred about being known in a space like that.
It can offer a moral compass, especially in times when life feels gray and confusing.
It provides meaning, especially in grief, suffering, or the unknown.
And honestly? Faith can be healing. It can help us regulate emotionally, stay grounded, and even improve our health.
But. (And you knew the “but” was coming.)
Religion can also harm, especially when it's used to control rather than to connect. Here's where things can get toxic:
When questions are silenced.
When fear and shame are used as tools to keep people in line.
When spiritual leaders are elevated above accountability.
When you're taught that certainty is faith, and doubt is sin.
When you’re told befriending someone outside of your religion is wrong.
When you’re sure your religion is the one true religion. (News flash: all religions believe this)
And ironically, that very suppression of curiosity, the thing this new study says is so essential to mental health and longevity, is often baked into the foundation of many religious systems.
If curiosity really does help us stay mentally and emotionally alive, what does it mean when an institution teaches us to shut it down?
I don’t have all the answers. I’m still asking. Still becoming. Still in the wilderness, exploring the unknown and learning to trust my own voice again. But I do know this: curiosity saved my life. And it might just be what keeps saving me, over and over again.
So here's to staying curious. To honoring the questions. To resisting the pressure to have it all figured out. And to creating spaces, whether they’re spiritual or not, where wonder gets to lead the way.
