After midlife burnout came a rediscovered curiosity for two friends and writers

It was the early 2000s, we were in our 20s and had both started as assistants at the same company. We bonded over excruciating induction sessions, where we had to reveal things like which cartoon character we most identified with (B: Danger Mouse; E: Marcie from Peanuts). We laughed a lot, but we also worked really hard – and pushed each other to do new things. Twenty years later, with six children between us as well as more senior jobs, we found ourselves bogged down by endless to-lists and the relentless pace of midlife. We realised we needed to rediscover and connect to the positives in the world around us. The answer lay in sparking each other’s curiosity.

Many studies have shown that having a curious mindset has real-life benefits, both for our bodies and our souls. Our brains have evolved to release dopamine when we discover new things, and dopamine boosts memory, creativity and forges new neural connections. Other research shows that having a driving sense of curiosity can break down barriers between people – particularly important in our increasingly polarised world – c uriosity helps us to build empathy, connectivity and respect for others.