Choose to be Curious Ep. #275: Pick A Book, Any Book: Curiosity & Media Choices, with XuanJun Gong
Apr 17, 2025
XuanJun Gong, an assistant professor at Texas A&M, dives into the intriguing world of media selection and curiosity. He explores how our mood influences the media we choose and why curiosity drives us to either explore new content or stick with familiar favorites. XuanJun also discusses the impact of generational views on film and the rising trend of preprints in academia, highlighting their role in accelerating information sharing. A fascinating look at how curiosity shapes our media experiences awaits!
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Dual Media Evaluation Systems
- People evaluate media content using two systems: curiosity-based and pure enjoyment-based evaluation.
- Curiosity evaluation emphasizes novelty and complexity, shaping individual media preferences.
Cats Illustrate Curiosity Spectrum
- XuanJun compares his two cats to illustrate human curiosity differences: one is highly curious and explorative, the other focused on basic needs.
- This shows a wide continuum in innate curiosity traits affecting behavior.
Explore-Exploit Dilemma in Choices
- People balance between exploiting known valued options and exploring novel options driven by curiosity.
- This captures the explore-exploit dilemma in decision-making like media selection or grocery shopping.