Public radio listeners = lifelong learners

Public radio listeners
are lifelong learners

Welcome to Curious, where you can learn more than 25,000 new skills — from French to hula hooping to statistics to mindfulness.
Enjoy amazing stories, podcasts and more from some of our favorite Public Radio partners:
Marketplace American Public Media
Science Friday The Takeaway
PRI's The World
  1. Grow your CQ (Curious Quotient) with a brand new CQ Workout every day.
  2. Sharpen your brain’s creative, practical, well-being and academic centers.
  3. Achieve your learning goals in just 5, 15 or 30 minutes a day.
  4. Learn from 25,000 lessons on virtually any topic.
  5. Custom plans that fit your unique lifestyle and schedule.
  6. Stay happy and healthy with a science-backed daily workout for your brain.
Featuring World-Class Educational Content: Curious Courses, TED, Marketplace, PRI, Science Friday, Curious Conversations, The Daily Curio, Learning Minutes

The Curious Learning Engine helps you build your CQ, or Curious Quotient.

We developed the Curious Learning Engine after two years and 5,000,000 learning sessions. It is based on learning science which shows people who stretch their brain—in other words, build their Curious Quotient (CQ)—for a few minutes a day are happier, more successful, and live longer. Learn more about the research behind Curious.

  • 1 The CQ Interview:

    First, tell the Curious Learning Engine about yourself, and your experience levels, and what you’re curious about. You can also choose a learning focus, to build mastery.

    Example curiosity Example quiz
  • 2 The CQ Wheel:

    Based on your interview, the Curious Learning Engine generates your personalized CQ Wheel. It helps you visualize your learning progress throughout each month, and compares it to your goals and interests. Share your wheel with friends for extra motivation!

    mind/body Topics:

    Food + Nutrition
    Personal Growth
    Meditation
    Style + Beauty
    Mental Wellbeing
    Fitness
    Spirituality
    Yoga + Pilates
    Physical Therapy
    Emotional Health
    Self Defense
    Life Skills
    Learning funnel
    Learning wheel Learning wheel overlay Learning wheel band

    Everyone's CQ Wheel is unique. See what yours looks like.

    Example wheel 1 Example wheel 2 Example wheel 3
  • 3 Your CQ Workout:

    Once you have your CQ Wheel, the Learning Engine sends you a daily workout for your brain. It recommends the best way to build your CQ and achieve your monthly learning goals. You’ll learn interesting facts, view bite-sized lessons, take in-depth courses, and even watch fascinating conversations with curious people.

    App accessibility

Curious is based on decades of learning science.

In the past decade over a dozen influential studies have shown that learning things doesn't just make you smarter — it makes you happier, healthier and even more successful. It doesn't matter what you learn, as long as it's new and sparks your curiosity. Click below to read the scientific research that has inspired the Curious Learning Engine.

It’s not about how smart you are; it’s about HOW you are smart.
Howard Gardner, Author of Multiple Intelligences, Harvard University
If you want to improve your memory, don't waste your time and money on brain games. You'd be better off learning to quilt.
Lauren Silverman, NPR
Success… it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.
Carol Dweck, Author of Mindset, Stanford University
Whether or not picking up a new skill makes you smarter, it certainly makes you… a better, happier, more fulfilled person.
Dr. Gary Marcus, Author of Guitar Zero, New York University
Curious minds show increased activity in the hippocampus, which is involved in the creation of memories.
Dr. Charan Ranganath, Scientific American
Who wants to sit, slogging away at brain training apps when you could be doing something fun like photography?
Dr. Jeremy Dean, Author of PSYBlog
We need, as a society, to learn how to maintain a healthy mind, just like we know how to maintain vascular health with diet and exercise.
Psychological Science