Title : Promoting openness in selves, society and science
Abstract :
Openness to experience — the quality of being receptive to new ideas and experiences — is one of the Big Five personality traits, but it is also a state. Emerging evidence suggests that routinely engaging the state of openness can enhance the trait. In this talk, I review assorted ways of cultivating state openness and propose that its pursuit could catch on as mindfulness has — with potentially profound consequences. At the individual level, increased openness could enhance curiosity, intellectual humility, and creativity. At the societal level, it could reduce polarization and foster the cognitive flexibility needed to adapt to global changes associated with climate and AI. At the scientific level, it could invite consideration of alternative ontologies underpinning our understanding of consciousness.
Jillian Sifuentes
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