S8 E10: Awe, Wonder, and Curiosity (Part 1)

S8 E10: Awe, Wonder, and Curiosity (Part 1)

From The Learning Geeks Podcast by The Learning Geeks

May 7, 2026 · 35 min · Season 8 · Episode 10

About this episode

The episode explores the differences between curiosity, awe, and wonder and their significance in learning.

What's the difference between curiosity, awe, and wonder and why does it matter for learning? In this episode, we welcome back three friends of the podcast: Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, researcher and educator at Harvard's Next Level Lab, Dr. Lauren Hodges, human performance researcher, and Jessica Billiet, neuroscience-informed change leader. Together, they explore curiosity as an epistemic emotion, the relationship between awe and meaning, and why widening our aperture might be the antidote to fear-based thinking. Part 1 of 2. 00:00 Cold Open 01:33 Dana Gets Meta-Curious 04:52 Meet Megan: Awe & Epistemic Emotions 07:23 Quick Curiosity vs. Sustained Interest 09:56 Does Learning Kill Awe? 11:12 Awe as Motivation at Work 14:00 Curiosity, Wonder & Vastness 21:02 Awe, Meaning & Purpose 24:18 Meet Lauren: Curiosity as Aperture 29:52 Curiosity as the Antidote to Stress 31:27 Reframing Fear with Curiosity 34:15 Wrap Up & Part 2 Preview LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS Megan - https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/megan-powell-cuzzolino Lauren - https://www.performance-on-purpose.com/about Jessica - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabilliet/ LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE…

People in this episode

Host: The Learning Geeks

Guests: Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, Dr. Lauren Hodges, Jessica Billiet

Topics covered

  • curiosity
  • awe
  • wonder
  • learning
  • epistemic emotions
  • fear-based thinking

Keywords

  • curiosity
  • awe
  • wonder
  • learning
  • epistemic emotions
  • motivation
  • fear

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard's Next Level Lab

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