Defining Curious Disagreement

At Viewpoints, we define curious disagreement as the ability to hold one perspective, and still be curious to understand three things:

  1. Another perspective.

  1. The reasons for it.

  2. The person who holds it.

Curious disagreement does not mean:

  1. That you need to change your mind, or someone else’s.

  2. That you agree with or condone the other perspective.

  3. That you leave your views or identity behind when you enter the conversation.

We use the term “curious disagreement” for several reasons:

  1. It employs everyday terms, reducing preconceived notions or bias.

  2. We want to encourage disagreement, instead of surface-level “understanding.”

  3. It helps people lower the stakes of disagreement by simply asking them to be curious — not to change

Our Research

Curiosity is more than a mindset — it’s a powerful tool for navigating disagreement and driving change. When we lean into tough conversations with openness instead of defensiveness, we create space for connection, understanding, and even joy.

Research backs this up. We put together a Reference Guide outlining our literature review and unique approach to curious disagreement. Explore that whole report, or check out a few of the studies that inform our work below!

Study 1: “Higher curiosity was also associated with a more positive affective state, namely enjoyment, and was inversely related to a negative affective state, frustration.”

Study 2:“Even when their teachers prefer to avoid addressing conflictual issues, students…describe the rare occasions when conflicts are discussed as their most meaningful classroom experiences.”

Study 3:“Subjects higher in curiosity exhibited a higher degree of willingness to examine surprising information contrary to their political predispositions.”

Study 4:“Through the give and take of conflict, people shed their illusions and assumptions of each other and can come to know and understand their opponents’ actual positions and needs.”

Study 5: “Students who…have had significant opportunities in school to participate in thoughtful discussion of conflictual social issues in open, inclusive classroom climates tend to exhibit democratically relevant understandings, skills and dispositions.”

Study 6:“Behavioral results from two studies revealed that states of high curiosity enhance not only learning of interesting information, but also learning of incidental material.”

Study 7:“Dialogue and debate among contrasting and conflicting views sharpens understanding of one’s own position, fosters learning from other perspectives, and promotes the humble recognition that competing orientations have many advantages of their own.”

Study 8:“A too-often neglected element of conflict dialogue is preparation—developing norms and relationships for respectful nonviolent interaction.