There’s a long-standing notion that ostriches like to “bury” their heads in the sand when they see something dangerous approaching. Supposedly, the logic behind this is that if they can’t see the threat, then it technically isn’t there.

This idea, as amusing as it is, has long since been debunked. Ostriches don’t actually do this—but, ironically, we humans often do.

You can likely think of a time when you deliberately chose to not know something. Some of us like to put off checking our bank balance after a big weekend. Some of us ignore our nagging suspicions about a partner’s loyalty. Some of us scroll quickly past awful headlines about war or climate change.

This “the less I know, the better” mindset is surprisingly common in adulthood. What’s less obvious, however, is where we learn it from. After all, children are famously (even annoyingly) curious. They’re permanently asking questions and always wanting to know more. So, when is it that we move from this relentless curiosity in childhood to the selective avoidance we see in adults? And, more importantly, why?

A June 2025

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