The Importance of Exploration in a Healthy Work Life
2. A chapter titled “Explore” in Careers: A
Brainwise Guide to Finding Fulfillment at Work, a
book cowritten by Josh Gibson, MD, examines
how people, once settled in a career, remain
happy by staying open to new experiences
and exploring new avenues. The book draws
on several interviews with people who have
attained fulfillment at work and carefully
studies those interviews to understand the
general features of workplace fulfillment.
According to Josh Gibson, MD, and his
coauthors, exploration actually causes the
brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter
that elicits feelings of pleasure.
3. This pleasure reinforces the drive to explore,
ultimately resulting in further exploration
and more good feelings, creating a self-
reinforcing cycle of fulfillment. Pain, on the
other, teaches people what they should
avoid. The book refers to this pain-pleasure
dynamic as an “emotional compass,”
which can help people notice and
navigate the career-exploration paths
open to them. Often times, successful
exploration comes down to the interplay of
people’s memories, their current situations,
and their imaginations.