11. ADHD: HYPERCURIOSITY

Reading through a journal the other day, I came across an article about a new characteristic that has been identified in ADHDers. It's called “hypercuriosity.” In addition to the “hyperfocus” in ADHDers that many people are aware of, hypercuriosity is a significant characteristic of ADHDers. I know in my own family that both my ADHD child and my probably ADHD wife are vast repositories of unrelated facts and details that still amaze me. My son jokes about having a head full of weird information that doesn't really relate to anything. My wife has always been exactly the same way. She tends to store information at a prodigious rate, but for no particular reason. She can tell you every event in our past life together -  the year, the location and the people involved -  for relatively common social events in our past. It sort of amazes me because I basically don't remember any of that stuff but she remembers it all. She is also a “google queen.” Any question anyone in the family has, she’s all over it, looking it up at superhuman speed.

The theory of hypercuriosity is attributed to Anne-Laure LeCunff, a neuroscientist who also has ADHD. She started to recognize a potential association between curiosity and ADHD. Some Norwegian research on the positives of ADHD required ADHDers to list their positive experiences with ADHD. They reported creativity, energy, adaptability, resilience and curiosity. This reportedly made them more empathic, more accepting of others and better at handling adversity.

LeCunff noticed a link between impulsivity and curiosity, which makes perfect sense to her. Looking at human evolution, at one time in the history of humanity, the ability to rapidly respond and to be extremely curious would have been helpful to a Nomadic group's survival. A person who responds rapidly and is attuned to everything that's occurring around him or her is a significant aid to survival of the tribe in a nomadic culture.

This is also consistent with Thom Hartman's theory that the ADHD mind is a “hunter’s mind.” This is the kind of mindset you need when you're out foraging for game  - you have to respond rapidly, decisively and somewhat impulsively. He outlines this in his book “A Hunter's Mind in a Farmer’s World.

Questions and concerns I would have involve when you're treating an ADHD person and reducing his or her impulsivity, does that also reduce his or her curiosity? Would this also make an ADHD person less creative? These concerns will be fueling research for a lot of years. In the meantime, it is important to encourage your child's curiosity by providing stimulation for exploring different areas. It's important to understand that deep study is unlikely and skimming information should be encouraged. Give your ADHD child a lot of stimulating information and let him or her absorb as much of it as they wish.

Hypercuriousity is one of those traits about ADHD that we as parents can love. Our ADHDers are always excited about new experiences and new opportunities to learn. Encourage this and allow them to explore their world.

Thanks for reading and let's make the world safe for ADHD!

Visit my website at terrygingrasphd.com to learn more about Dr. G and my ADHD coaching services. 

Feel free to give me a call  to see if coaching is something you want to do. 

DrG