You list curiosity as one of your values, but you're not sure if it's actually guiding your choices or if you're just the type of person who thinks you should be curious. The question isn't whether curiosity is good—it's whether it's actually yours.
Who This Is For
This page is for someone who has reflected on their values and suspects curiosity might matter to them, but hasn't tested the claim against their life. You might find yourself asking questions constantly, reading across domains, or pushing back against people who want simple answers. You're wary of settling into routine and you genuinely want to understand how things work. If curiosity feels like something that actually costs you something when you ignore it—like a real tension, not just a nice idea—this is for you.
This is also for people who wonder if curiosity is one of their top values but suspect it might be ranked lower than they thought. You might have written it down because it sounds good or because you remember being curious as a child. You're not sure if you still live it. That's the right question to ask.
This is not for people who are content with their current understanding of things and have no real drive to know more. Some people are genuinely satisfied with what they already know, and they make good lives that way. If you've never felt frustrated by not knowing something, or if you actively avoid new information, curiosity probably isn't your core value. That's not a flaw—it's just true. There's no shame in that, and no reason to force curiosity into your value set.
What You Will Discover
Shalom Schwartz's research on basic human values, conducted across 80+ countries and refined over decades, maps how values actually relate to each other. His framework identifies 10 universal value types arranged in a circle—what he calls a circumplex structure. The key insight is that adjacent values are compatible and reinforce each other, while opposite values create genuine tension. Curiosity (Schwartz calls it "Universalism" in one context, but more accurately "Openness to Change" across his model) sits in a specific position relative to other values like Achievement, Security, and Tradition. When you identify curiosity as a core value using a rigorous assessment, you're not just confirming a feeling—you're seeing where it sits in your actual hierarchy and which other values it pulls toward or against.
The discovery isn't that curiosity is good. The discovery is whether it's *yours*, ranked against the values that actually compete for your time and attention. You'll see, for instance, whether your stated curiosity conflicts with a stronger need for Security or a commitment to Tradition. You'll understand if you're living curiosity at the level you claim it matters. Most people discover that curiosity ranks somewhere in their top five, but not always in their top three. Some people find it ranks lower than they expected. That clarity lets you stop performing curiosity and start deciding what you actually want to prioritize.
Common Reasons People Wait
One reason people hesitate is that they think they already know the answer. You've been reflective before. You've done other assessments. You're pretty sure curiosity matters to you, so why spend time confirming it? The problem with that reasoning is that intuition about your own values is often wrong. Research on self-assessment consistently shows that people misrank their own priorities when they guess. A rigorous assessment surfaces patterns you can't see from the inside. You might discover that what you thought was curiosity is actually something else—a need to understand people, or a drive to master specific domains, or a need to feel competent. Those are different values, and they have different costs.
Another reason is that the answer feels like it won't change anything. You think, even if curiosity is my core value, what do I actually do with that information? The tension here is real—knowing your values only matters if you're willing to use that knowledge to make decisions. But here's the reframe: most people aren't avoiding the work of living their values. They're making choices that contradict their values because they don't actually know what they are or where they rank. Once you see curiosity ranked against Achievement or Security, you can make intentional trade-offs instead of accidental ones. That's when knowing matters.
The third hesitation is that you're afraid the assessment will tell you curiosity isn't actually your value, and you'll feel like you've lost something. You've built an identity around being curious. If it ranks lower than you expected, will that change how you see yourself? Yes, probably. And that's worth sitting with before you take the assessment. But here's what's more true: an identity built on a value that isn't actually yours is fragile. It costs energy to maintain. The alternative—building your life around values that are genuinely yours—is harder to do and infinitely more sustainable. Finding out curiosity ranks fourth instead of second isn't losing something. It's gaining permission to stop pretending.
The My Values assessment surfaces your core values, ranks them, and shows you where your life is and isn't aligned with them.
How do I know if curiosity is a core value vs. just a trait?
A trait is something you do consistently. A core value is something you feel pulled toward, even when it costs you. If you're curious because you naturally notice details and ask questions, that's a trait. If you feel frustrated or confined when people don't want to explore ideas with you, or when you're in an environment where questioning isn't welcomed, then curiosity is likely a value—it matters to who you want to be, not just how you happen to think.
What if curiosity conflicts with my other core values?
In Schwartz's framework, values at opposite ends of the circumplex create real tension. Curiosity (Openness to Change) can conflict with Security or Conformity values. That's not a problem to solve—it's a trade-off to acknowledge. You might live curiosity in some domains and prioritize Security in others. Most people do. The value assessment helps you see those tensions explicitly so you can make intentional choices rather than swinging between them unconsciously.
Can curiosity be a core value if I'm not curious about everything?
Yes. You might have deep curiosity about people or systems but no interest in technical details or current events. You might be endlessly curious about your own inner life but not motivated to explore unfamiliar places. Curiosity as a core value means you're pulled toward understanding in domains that matter to you—not that you're equally curious about everything. The assessment captures this by asking about what actually draws you, not whether you fit a stereotype.
What's the difference between Schwartz's framework and other values assessments?
Schwartz's framework is built on cross-cultural research replicated across 80+ countries over decades. It's one of the most validated models in psychology. Other assessments exist, but Schwartz's circumplex structure shows not just what your values are, but how they relate to each other—what's compatible and what creates tension. That relational view is what makes it useful for making actual decisions about how to live.