Summary

The article suggests adopting a scientist's habit of curiosity and experimentation to make life more engaging and enjoyable.

Abstract

The article encourages readers to view their lives through the lens of a scientist, emphasizing that scientists are not just methodical but also deeply curious. By treating life as an experiment, one can foster a sense of fun and discovery, much like playing a game. The author illustrates this with a personal anecdote about playing Carrom, where questioning and hypothesis testing led to a more immersive and less failure-averse experience. The key to embracing this approach lies in the habit of questioning, which can be cultivated through repetition. By doing so, everyday activities become more interesting, and one can reconnect with their childlike curiosity, leading to personal growth and the exploration of new possibilities.

Opinions

Scientists are portrayed as inherently curious individuals who view the world as a puzzle to be solved.
Treating life as an experiment allows for a more playful and less judgmental approach to failure.
The process of formulating and testing hypotheses in daily activities is described as engaging and fun.
The author advocates for the use of repetition to reinforce the habit of questioning, making it a natural part of one's thought process.
The article suggests that applying scientific curiosity to life's challenges can lead to increased mindfulness, happiness, and the ability to overcome comfort zones.
The author believes that this scientific approach to life can reignite one's inner child's sense of wonder and exploration.

How to Use the Habit of Scientists to Have More Fun in Life

Life can get so much more interesting

Imagine any scientist. Take the first thought of them and imagine their habits.

What does it look like?

To me, it feels boring. They seem to have a dry life. But that’s as far from the truth as you can get.

Scientists are inherently curious. They want to know everything about everything. They can’t get enough. To them, the world is like a puzzle. It’s something that you can crack and figure out.

This is exactly how we should treat our own lives.

Treat your life like an experiment

I remember when I was playing an Indian board game, called Carrom. It’s like pool, but with flat objects that you hit with something called a “striker”. The aim is to get all your coloured pieces in before your opponent does.

This game introduced me to the idea of treating things as an experiment. When I first started to play Carrom, I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I barely thought during the game. I just mindlessly tried to follow the rules of the game and get my pieces in. Somehow, I started to question the game. I asked things like how hard I should hit the striker, how I could aim properly, and endless more. This method of questioning turned out to be really fun. I could try a hypothesis, see if it worked, if not then I could go back and try another hypothesis.

It got me to break past my comfort zones more often. Instead of viewing myself as a failure whenever I inevitably failed, I simply went back to my initial hypothesis and changed it. When we view life as a game, we don’t mind as much when we lose. Games are engaging, fun, and get us into a flow state easily. It’s hard not to have fun when you view life this way.

What makes testing your hypothesis so fun

It gives you the mindset of a scientist. Instead of wanting things to go a certain way, we could view things as either a hypothesis that is true or false. If things don’t go our way, that’s cool, we can always go back to our hypothesis and change it. By viewing life as an experiment, we get more engaged with it. We become more mindful and are happier as a result. We are leveraging our inner curiosity and applying it to everything in our lives. This makes life and the things we do much more interesting.

Apply the habit of questioning

The trick is to use repetition.

There is no substitute for attentive repetition.

— Daniel Coyle

By repeatedly reminding ourselves of the habit of questioning, we start to question things more often. Soon, we start questioning everything that interests us.

Being more aware of this method got me to use it more. Not just for Carrom, but for other activities as well. When throwing a ball, I imagine why baseball pitchers are really good at throwing fast. When playing basketball, I wonder how I can get past the defence, or how I could align my shot better with the basket.

Conclusion

Questioning things and viewing life with the perspective of a scientist made activities more engaging. It brought back my inner child. The one who was endlessly curious about everything. The one that kept asking why. By leveraging our inner scientist, we can get past our comfort zones, break through ceilings and reach new heights that were not realized before.