Immense amounts of information are now accessible to people, including information that
bears on their past, present and future. An important research challenge is to determine how …

In natural behaviour, animals actively interrogate their environments using endogenously
generated 'question-and-answer'strategies. However, in laboratory settings participants …

We commonly think of information as a means to an end. However, a growing theoretical
and experimental literature suggests that information may directly enter the agent's utility …

The pursuit of knowledge is a basic feature of human nature. However, in domains ranging
from health to finance people sometimes choose to remain ignorant. Here, we show that …

The desire to know what the future holds is a powerful motivator in everyday life, but it is
unknown how this desire is created by neurons in the brain. Here we show that when …

Curiosity—our desire to know—is a fundamental drive in human behaviour, but its
mechanisms are poorly understood. A classical question concerns the curiosity motives …

We analyze risk preferences using an experiment with real incentives in a representative
sample of 1,422 Dutch respondents. Our econometric model incorporates four structural …

Behavioral and economic theory dictate that we decide between options based on their
values. However, humans and animals eagerly seek information about uncertain future …

Humans and animals have the ability to predict future events, which they cultivate by
continuously searching their environment for sources of predictive information. However …

Humans and other animals often show a strong desire to know the uncertain rewards their
future has in store, even when they cannot use this information to influence the outcome …