Curated Questions: Conversations Celebrating the Power of Questions! What Happens When A Question Is Asked? | Ken Woodward #66
"Questions are not neutral; they're interventions." - Ken Woodward
What actually happens inside us when a question is asked?
In this solo episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward explores the neurological, emotional, and psychological impact of being asked a question.
Moving beyond techniques or tactics, Ken examines how questions hijack attention, trigger chemical responses in the brain, open unresolved mental loops, and sometimes activate fear or defensiveness.
Drawing from neuroscience and a powerful encounter during his Washington, D.C. walking project, he reflects on a question that has remained open for years: What real difference are you making?
This episode reveals why some questions feel like relief before they’re answered, why others linger long after they’re asked, and how certain questions don’t just reveal who we are, but actively shape who we become.
Questions, Ken argues, are not neutral requests for information. They are interventions. And understanding their power changes how we ask, how we answer, and how we live with them.
This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.
Be sure to check out the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions)
Keep questioning!
Episode Notes
00:00 Introduction: The Power of Smell and Memory
01:09 Welcome to Curated Questions
02:21 Part One: The Hijack
04:07 Questions in Everyday Life
06:39 Part Two: The Chemical Cascade
11:13 Part Three: The Open Loop
14:57 Part Four: The Threat Response
17:15 Part Five: The Self In Question
18:52 Part Six: Putting It Together
20:43 Conclusion
Resources Mentioned
Brain Rules: We Are Not Wired For True Multitasking by John Medina
Washington Post Article about Ken's walk through Washington D.C. by Teresa Vargas