Some people are constantly attracted to the new. In the right circumstances, being a neophile can be akin to a superpower. In the wrong context it can be a horrendous liability. If you are a neophile, how do you harness it to give yourself the best possible life?
Neophiles, or “scanners”, as Barbara Sher termed them, are people with an insatiable curiosity and a constant desire for new experiences. Being a neophile is a double-edged sword. In conventional, routine, and repetitive roles, seeking the new is widely frowned upon. In other roles, neophiles can be a powerful asset when they harness their talents effectively.
What are the characteristics of neophiles?
As with most other human variability, it is not a binary, “have it or not” feature. There are degrees, shades, and even multiple independent and interconnected continua that can be used to understand the huge variety of neophile behaviour and preferences.
Looking at the core variations, neophiles seem to differ from most people in the following ways.
They are hugely curious. To say that they are always seeking new information and experiences goes too far. They tend to immerse themselves in a topic or activity, and when sated, their curiosity takes them to other areas.
Neophiles are prone to becoming restless and under-stimulated by routine tasks or activities. Indeed, it may be their need for stimulation that drives them to seek out the new.
Neophiles love a challenge. Learning, doing, achieving, or experiencing something new is very attractive to neophiles. They tend to seek out or are attracted to novel and challenging situations.
To others, neophiles can seem impulsive. They appear to make quick decisions based on impulse rather than careful consideration. But that is not the case for many. They have learned that “Ready, Fire, Aim” is more effective than “Ready, Aim, Fire”. What does that mean? Neophiles want to learn; they crave real-world truth. The best way to get real-world data is to take a decision and act quickly, then observe the results and learn from them. That is, using the shooting analogy, neophiles calibrate their gun by seeing if and where they have hit the target.
Of course, they do aim in the general direction, but they don’t do as most people do: spend huge amounts of time aiming, when the best and fastest way to aim well is to fire and get the real-life feedback to refine the aim.
When a neophile chooses a new interest, they seem able to go into “hyperfocus”. Their intensity for the subject, having witnessed it several times, I can say, is awe inspiring. They will pick up the level of knowledge, understanding, and skill in a few weeks that most people would take months or years to acquire. For instance, they may go from never even having published an article to publishing a groundbreaking book with the leading publishers in a matter of months.
The flipside of being a neophile
While neophiles possess many strengths, and when their dispositions are properly harnessed, they can be super-achievers, their constant pursuit of novelty can also cause problems.
Can you imagine a neophile working in a role that requires little novelty, no variety, and the same routine every day, for decades? While that is precisely what many people want, if a neophile was in that environment, they would either leave their brain at home (knowing that their talents were not welcomed) and pursue their love of novelty in their free time, or they would be looking for ways to improve things, make them more efficient, faster, or completely obsolete by circumventing the need for the activities entirely. Can you imagine being the boss of someone who was constantly trying to change things?
Some neophiles have difficulty committing to something long-term because they know they are going to soon find themselves under-stimulated. Those who have not realised that novelty is their passion can start blaming themselves for not settling down, in any sense of the phrase. They may struggle to commit to long-term relationships, jobs, or hobbies.
The CV of a neophile can look like a job-hopping dilettante. But actually, they have acquired vast skills and knowledge that can be harnessed in the right hands.
Neophiles who have not yet harnessed their superpower can experience financial instability. Their apparent (but not actual) impulsiveness can make it difficult for them to stay anywhere long enough to be perceived as someone who adds value.
With so many interesting areas of life to explore, neophiles can experience FOMO, the fear of missing out.
Some neophiles feel so overwhelmed by the constant stream of new opportunities and experiences that they find it almost impossible to choose one, even for a short while.
That difficulty can make it appear that the neophile is highly distractible.
In the most extreme forms of neophilia, anxiety and stress are present because of a combination of the above challenges.
Neophiles who harness their talents have amazing capabilities
- Creativity and innovation are almost inevitable, even easy for them. How can that be possible? We know that the larger a person’s conceptual repertoire, the more knowledge they have of multiple different fields, and the more likely they are to be creative. For neophiles, their constant exposure to new ideas and experiences can and does spark creativity and innovation.
- Adaptability. Because they have spent so much time exploring so many different areas, skills, techniques, and knowledge bases, they tend to be highly adaptable. Neophiles are quick to adapt to change and embrace new challenges.
- Problem-Solving. Related to their heightened creativity and innovation, neophiles, again because of their wider conceptual repertoire and knowledge of different problem-solving techniques used in several different contexts, coupled with their curiosity, are usually excellent problem-solvers. I know of one neophile who is only interested in roles that aim to solve previously unsolved problems.
- Resilience. It will come as no surprise that having explored so many areas of life and sought to learn so much, usually as autodidacts, neophiles tend to have high levels of resilience. Their ability to bounce back from setbacks is also enhanced by their adaptability and positive outlook.
Harnessing your neophilic nature
If you are still reading, it may be that you are a neophile. In that case, you may appreciate exploring how to harness your strengths and minimise your weaknesses.
In what type of careers do neophiles thrive?
- Creative fields. Neophiles thrive where newness is necessary and valued. Careers in fields like art, design, writing, and music can provide opportunities for neophiles to engage in constant creativity and innovation.
- Technology. The tech industry is fast-moving and constantly evolving, offering numerous opportunities for neophiles to explore, create, and drive new technologies and trends.
- Consulting. Some consulting roles offer variety and the chance to work on different projects with different clients across different parts of the working world. Some are pretty tedious, for example, giving the same tax advice over and over again. Being a freelance consultant gives the greatest flexibility to pursue your current passions.
- Entrepreneurship. Starting their own business can allow neophiles to pursue their passions and constantly innovate.
- Digital nomad. Work remotely and travel the world, experiencing new cultures and ways of life. The fast-moving digital world is a boon to neophiles.
- Portfolio career. Many neophiles thrive by building their own portfolio careers. They may have several, apparently incompatible roles and enjoy the challenge of switching from one to the other. For example, a mental health professional might also be a professional musician and leader of an organisation, a non-executive director of others, an author, and a volunteer helping disadvantaged people.
Lifestyle choices
What are the best lifestyle choices neophiles can make? Perhaps the better question is, what factors would the self-aware neophile have in mind for each lifestyle choice?
Top of the list has to be the opportunity to follow their interests, to be free to be a life-long learner, and to avoid anything that constrains their ability to explore new fields.
Finding their neophile tribe
In my experience, neophiles love each other’s company. Surrounded by people who are constantly exploring new areas of life is a neophile’s dream.
When neophiles get together for mutual support, probably, for the first time in their lives, they are with people who “get them”.
Professor Nigel MacLennan runs the performance coaching practice PsyPerform.
