When I began reading this article, I didn't expect to "meet myself" in it. It was a surprise meeting! I also loved how vulnerable you allowed yourself to be, from childhood to adulthood. It helped tell a little of your story and connect so well to what you were writing about, Anne-Laure.
This comment put a smile on my face - thank you! I also "met myself" while reading those research papers, which is a big part of why I'm excited about this work.
Ha, you said “meet myself”—and when I read this excerpt:
“You might recognize it as opening 27 browser tabs while chasing an idea, getting lost in Wikipedia rabbit holes for hours, impulsively signing up for a pottery class because you saw one video on Instagram, or deep-diving into quantum physics podcasts for a week before moving on to your next obsession.”
My inner voice was shouting: “Effing hell, it's me!!! I need to test myself but I already know this is ADHD.”
For decades, I’d get these wild rushes of curiosity that pushed me toward big ideas, dream projects, and intense periods of fascination with soo many things.
But I always blamed myself for never going all in. The linear life and career path kept whispering, “You’ve got to be an expert.”
Now, I’m starting to see things differently.
This hyper-curiosity, maybe even ADHD (which I’m finally testing for), can be a blessing or a curse. It all depends on how you approach it.
Lately, I’m discovering it’s a gift. If you learn how to feed it and steer it, it can transport you to a completely different level of clarity, creativity, and fulfilment.
But that realisation took me at least 2 decades. I wish I had a book like Tiny Experiments handed to me at the age of 20. I really do.
Fascinating. Thanks. You put a great deal of value in a short post. So many of us have ADHD-like symptoms that I sometimes wonder about the validity of the diagnosis. Could it not be a natural by product of curious minds and over stimulated brains? Or in my case, when young, I had no role models and a chaotic family, so I retreated to books and intellectual stimulation (and fantasy). Whatever the case, I like that you are here writing about this openly. Peace.
Thanks for raising this point! I work in ADHD research and I also still wonder about the validity of the diagnosis, especially when it comes to DSM-based approaches. But - as you said - lots of people struggle with those symptoms and I think it is worth it to continue research and have those conversations even if we might not have figured out the correct frame yet.
Hi Ryan, Im not a researcher or ADHD expert by any means, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I think the value of the diagnosis is as a collection of shared "discomforts". A collection of similar "symptoms" of maladaptation in the world that cause struggle (struggle being a key factor in diagnosis). Having a term for the "syndrome" helps people find relevant resources and communities, and even medication if they so choose. I see the adhd diagnosis less as an indelible fact about yourself (like brown eyes) and more as a predisposition (like say someone with family history has a higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease, someone with an adhd diagnosis has a higher likelihood of hypercuriosity or emotional dysregulation). Seeing it this way has helped tremendously in accepting as well as extending resources to those.who would benefit from it, not to mention, the stigma that comes from a diagnosis=fault view
Hi Ryan, I can relate to the chaotic family during childhood and a lack of role models. Besides that, a very unhealthy nutrition that left an overload of toxins and parasites in my body. Found out about it by changing my nutrition completely, leaving behind family, and rewiring my brain. I now know that when emotions override my central nervous system, ADHD related symptoms pop up. As long as I keep my digestive pathways and detox organs in flow, I experience no symptoms at all. Even more so, being able to focus deeply for longer periods despite distractions comes easily right now. It's fully possible to reorganize yourself from within and pick out the highest fruits of your curiosity, sensitivities, and natural talents.
Reading this was like finding the perfect summer dress that I didn't even know I was looking for. Tasting a flavour that I instantly loved but didn't know. Every night after a few hours of ADHD quiet surfing of my YouTube faves I curl up in bed and then consume 30 minutes of IG folks on a variety of topics. And I feel guilty for using so much social media because #socialmediabad right? Have I mentioned my parasocial relationship with ChatGPT to discuss all the nuances of determinism and non-duality across the umpteen writers/philosophers I've read over the years that I am currently consumed with?? Keep it coming please!
"Have I mentioned my parasocial relationship with ChatGPT to discuss all the nuances of determinism and non-duality across the umpteen writers/philosophers I've read over the years that I am currently consumed with??"
Not me asking ChatGPT to imagine with me how Tolstoy would have loved using Notion
Thank you for this, Anne! I wanted to ask you, are there any note-taking apps that you recommend for ADHD adults? I tried taking analog notes and then moved to Notion, but I've heard Obsidian or Roam Research are maybe more useful for us?? I'd love to hear your opinion on this.
Also, loved your book! Still doing tiny experiments and growing a lot from them.
Thank you for reading, Adrian! I personally found that tools supporting nonlinear thinking tend to be more helpful, that means bidirectional links and tagging systems to think in maps. Obsidian and Roam are good examples.
Maybe give one of these a try for a couple of weeks and see if you like it? That would be a nice tiny experiment, and most of these have solid export tools too so you wouldn't lose your notes if you decided to stick with Notion.
Omg I just downloaded Obsisidan because I've been in search for a tool to map!!! I've always used a big Google Sheet to map out concepts and connections, but I wanted something for notes instead of Notion.
I've recently been getting into Obsidian and, as Anne describes below, it's great for linking and tagging and I think it works well for how our brains process information.
Something else that I've found really helpful lately is a physical notebook with blank pages. I've realised I tend to process my thoughts/ideas best when I can 'mind map' them. Circling headlines, drawing lines to things and visualising it in a way that isn't just lines on a page. It's been really helpful!
Plus there's the added benefit of better memory retention when writing and no tech distractions :D
Edit:
Also, the 'Canvas' feature in Obsidian is great for making these kinds of mind maps too!
I hope someday there will be universities designed to work with students who have this neurological orientation. College is so unstructured now, and it's hard for ADHDers to get through.
"These students — including those who are neurodivergent, those who learn differently and those whose talents simply don't translate to standardized tests or traditional classwork — often possess exactly the kind of innovative thinking our world needs most. We believe that intuitive problem-solvers are inspired, challenged and even consumed by finding solutions to problems with technical components."
What an excellent post, combining your own experiences with your research. I love the lens of “hypercuriosity” as a way to explore and understand how some of our brains work. Thank you!
Thank you for your amazing work - and for sharing this incredible insight with us. While reading this article, I was struck by how many times I felt like I was reading my own biography - or "meeting myself" as Communication Intelligence so aptly put it. I feel as if a whole new horizon has opened up for me that may help me better know myself.
I recently saw an article or maybe it was a TED talk about ADHD and its links to evolution. It appears that ADHD was a highly desirable trait for hunter-gatherers because the distract-ability of ADHD meant that predators could not sneak up on us. Any movement, no matter how stealthy, attracted attention. So at some point in our evolutionary path, those of us who lost that ability are less likely to notice a novel new approach to solving problems.
It’s been my experience as a teacher that ADHD students needed more variety to get to the learning our state said they needed to show. And many of my students, regardless of their neurology, benefited from that variety. My favorite thing to do was let my students pursue passion projects. Every nine weeks they could pick something they wanted to pursue and I would design lessons toward learning standards that allowed them to use their passion projects to learn them.
It’s complicated to do that, but very doable once you work through it. I just remembered as a student that school bored me in general, and my question in the classroom was always, “How do I make learning relevant and enjoyable for all my students? How can I get them excited for learning? What do they want to learn?”
Your students are lucky to have you! Finding ways to let students follow their curiosity while meeting learning standards is exactly what we need more of.
The overlap between multipotentiality and hypercuriosity is fascinating, and I suspect there are real connections we're just starting to understand. Will definitely be diving into this more in future posts!
I really liked this piece—it captures something true and under-discussed about the experience of a certain kind of mind. The term “hypercuriosity” is especially useful. The part about opening 27 browser tabs while chasing an idea, or falling into compulsive research spirals, felt incredibly familiar. It’s not just distraction; it’s a kind of urgent exploratory drive that doesn’t map neatly onto either productivity advice or clinical language.
But I want to push back a bit on the entrepreneurship angle. There’s a romantic narrative that startups are great for people who think differently, but in practice, most successful entrepreneurship rewards doing one narrow thing over and over. You’re supposed to ignore 26 of those browser tabs, find the one that aligns with traction or market fit, and grind. For hypercurious people, that’s often the exact opposite of how motivation and attention work.
So I think the real question your project opens up is: what are the institutional or organizational contexts where hypercuriosity can be a feature, not a bug? Research roles with wide scope, policy jobs that let you follow threads across domains, tools that help turn intellectual wandering into synthesis—those seem like more promising directions than assuming startup life is the answer. That’s not a knock on entrepreneurship; it’s just recognizing that the traits that make you good at seeing connections aren’t always the ones that help you stay locked onto one path for years.
This is the kind of reframing we need more of: not just celebrating neurodivergence in the abstract, but digging into what it actually looks like to build systems and careers that work with how people’s minds really operate. Looking forward to what comes next.
Yes! I linked to entrepreneurship because there's some emerging research there but you're spot on about the gap between the romantic narrative and reality. The "startup life is perfect for ADHD" assumption misses so much nuance.
What I'm interested in are the job characteristics that align with how these minds work: autonomy over time, variety, the ability to follow threads across domains, roles that reward making connections rather than repetitive tasks. That could be research, policy work, consulting, or certain entrepreneurial contexts – but it's about the features of these jobs rather than any particular path.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, this is exactly the kind of nuanced discussion I'm hoping for as I dig deeper into this research.
Having worked in both tech startups and startups that have evolved into a mature organization, my preference is always to work for Startups (Diagnosed ADHD at 35). And I realized that's the case because I struggle with creating scalable processes, drafting long memos to sell my ideas through layers of managemen, and focussing deeply on a single area rather than going broad across multiple projects.
My struggle typically revolves around structuring ideas, being concise about what I'm trying to achieve and why (i have to really control myself to not go in different tangents).
@ness I'm curious on why you chose to stay away from medication! Not sure if you've shared this in this forum before, but would love to get deeper perspective into this sometime.
Reclaiming my attention is something I have to consciously and actively do every day. I have to put strict (and I use the word strict because it feels that way as I enjoy exploring) but necessary barriers in place to prevent me having my entire day derailed by something that catches my curiosity during an innocent morning scroll.
I recently ended up very frustrated at the end of the day feeling pulled in a million different directions only to take a look at my browsing history and pin point the exact moment (or, I shoud say, the exact tab) where everything went off track. It was an insightful moment and reinforced to me that my hypercuriosity can be allowed but reserved for specific times in the day.
I'm really looking forward to hearing what you uncover with your research.
I'm also currently reading Tiny Experiments and thought to myself – surely she has ADHD because these strategies feel perfect for my ADHD brain! Sure enough, you do! :)
When I began reading this article, I didn't expect to "meet myself" in it. It was a surprise meeting! I also loved how vulnerable you allowed yourself to be, from childhood to adulthood. It helped tell a little of your story and connect so well to what you were writing about, Anne-Laure.
This comment put a smile on my face - thank you! I also "met myself" while reading those research papers, which is a big part of why I'm excited about this work.
That makes sense! You learned something important that made it helpful to understand. I can see why you're excited about what you're doing!
Isn't that odd? I instantly felt the same.
Ha, you said “meet myself”—and when I read this excerpt:
“You might recognize it as opening 27 browser tabs while chasing an idea, getting lost in Wikipedia rabbit holes for hours, impulsively signing up for a pottery class because you saw one video on Instagram, or deep-diving into quantum physics podcasts for a week before moving on to your next obsession.”
My inner voice was shouting: “Effing hell, it's me!!! I need to test myself but I already know this is ADHD.”
For decades, I’d get these wild rushes of curiosity that pushed me toward big ideas, dream projects, and intense periods of fascination with soo many things.
But I always blamed myself for never going all in. The linear life and career path kept whispering, “You’ve got to be an expert.”
Now, I’m starting to see things differently.
This hyper-curiosity, maybe even ADHD (which I’m finally testing for), can be a blessing or a curse. It all depends on how you approach it.
Lately, I’m discovering it’s a gift. If you learn how to feed it and steer it, it can transport you to a completely different level of clarity, creativity, and fulfilment.
But that realisation took me at least 2 decades. I wish I had a book like Tiny Experiments handed to me at the age of 20. I really do.
Fascinating. Thanks. You put a great deal of value in a short post. So many of us have ADHD-like symptoms that I sometimes wonder about the validity of the diagnosis. Could it not be a natural by product of curious minds and over stimulated brains? Or in my case, when young, I had no role models and a chaotic family, so I retreated to books and intellectual stimulation (and fantasy). Whatever the case, I like that you are here writing about this openly. Peace.
Thanks for raising this point! I work in ADHD research and I also still wonder about the validity of the diagnosis, especially when it comes to DSM-based approaches. But - as you said - lots of people struggle with those symptoms and I think it is worth it to continue research and have those conversations even if we might not have figured out the correct frame yet.
Hi Ryan, Im not a researcher or ADHD expert by any means, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I think the value of the diagnosis is as a collection of shared "discomforts". A collection of similar "symptoms" of maladaptation in the world that cause struggle (struggle being a key factor in diagnosis). Having a term for the "syndrome" helps people find relevant resources and communities, and even medication if they so choose. I see the adhd diagnosis less as an indelible fact about yourself (like brown eyes) and more as a predisposition (like say someone with family history has a higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease, someone with an adhd diagnosis has a higher likelihood of hypercuriosity or emotional dysregulation). Seeing it this way has helped tremendously in accepting as well as extending resources to those.who would benefit from it, not to mention, the stigma that comes from a diagnosis=fault view
Hi Ryan, I can relate to the chaotic family during childhood and a lack of role models. Besides that, a very unhealthy nutrition that left an overload of toxins and parasites in my body. Found out about it by changing my nutrition completely, leaving behind family, and rewiring my brain. I now know that when emotions override my central nervous system, ADHD related symptoms pop up. As long as I keep my digestive pathways and detox organs in flow, I experience no symptoms at all. Even more so, being able to focus deeply for longer periods despite distractions comes easily right now. It's fully possible to reorganize yourself from within and pick out the highest fruits of your curiosity, sensitivities, and natural talents.
"Hypercurious minds deserve better systems" spot on ... the systems do not deserve our minds.
Reading this was like finding the perfect summer dress that I didn't even know I was looking for. Tasting a flavour that I instantly loved but didn't know. Every night after a few hours of ADHD quiet surfing of my YouTube faves I curl up in bed and then consume 30 minutes of IG folks on a variety of topics. And I feel guilty for using so much social media because #socialmediabad right? Have I mentioned my parasocial relationship with ChatGPT to discuss all the nuances of determinism and non-duality across the umpteen writers/philosophers I've read over the years that I am currently consumed with?? Keep it coming please!
This is so beautifully written, thank you for leaving a comment!
Fan-girling hard over your comment...thank YOU! :-)
"Have I mentioned my parasocial relationship with ChatGPT to discuss all the nuances of determinism and non-duality across the umpteen writers/philosophers I've read over the years that I am currently consumed with??"
Not me asking ChatGPT to imagine with me how Tolstoy would have loved using Notion
"Would you like me to create a table comparing Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Hugo and their views on the utility of Notion?" 😂
Also me: <types "c"> into the browser
Browser autofills ChatGPT
(I'm cosplaying someone not addicted to ChatGPT - I know... I need to commit to a bookmark/favorite tab)
Thank you for this, Anne! I wanted to ask you, are there any note-taking apps that you recommend for ADHD adults? I tried taking analog notes and then moved to Notion, but I've heard Obsidian or Roam Research are maybe more useful for us?? I'd love to hear your opinion on this.
Also, loved your book! Still doing tiny experiments and growing a lot from them.
Thank you for reading, Adrian! I personally found that tools supporting nonlinear thinking tend to be more helpful, that means bidirectional links and tagging systems to think in maps. Obsidian and Roam are good examples.
Maybe give one of these a try for a couple of weeks and see if you like it? That would be a nice tiny experiment, and most of these have solid export tools too so you wouldn't lose your notes if you decided to stick with Notion.
Omg I just downloaded Obsisidan because I've been in search for a tool to map!!! I've always used a big Google Sheet to map out concepts and connections, but I wanted something for notes instead of Notion.
Check out the 'Canvas' feature in Obsidian. It's great for visually mapping things out and connecting them in a more traditional mind map style :)
I'd like to recommend Fabric.
I've recently been getting into Obsidian and, as Anne describes below, it's great for linking and tagging and I think it works well for how our brains process information.
Something else that I've found really helpful lately is a physical notebook with blank pages. I've realised I tend to process my thoughts/ideas best when I can 'mind map' them. Circling headlines, drawing lines to things and visualising it in a way that isn't just lines on a page. It's been really helpful!
Plus there's the added benefit of better memory retention when writing and no tech distractions :D
Edit:
Also, the 'Canvas' feature in Obsidian is great for making these kinds of mind maps too!
Hope you are getting some rest - your production is off the charts. A memoir would be must reading. Your writing is warmly engaging.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying my work, and I am getting some rest :)
I hope someday there will be universities designed to work with students who have this neurological orientation. College is so unstructured now, and it's hard for ADHDers to get through.
Yes - we need learning environments that actually support how hypercurious minds work, not just assume everyone learns the same way.
Check out the iSTEM program at Stevens Institute of Technology.
https://www.stevens.edu/istem
"These students — including those who are neurodivergent, those who learn differently and those whose talents simply don't translate to standardized tests or traditional classwork — often possess exactly the kind of innovative thinking our world needs most. We believe that intuitive problem-solvers are inspired, challenged and even consumed by finding solutions to problems with technical components."
I-like what i have read because i pictured my self in it and it is a big lesson in short while.
What an excellent post, combining your own experiences with your research. I love the lens of “hypercuriosity” as a way to explore and understand how some of our brains work. Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading, Meredith!
This really aligned to a learning experience with 16-21 I shaped recently to allow for non-linear curiosity
Thank you for your amazing work - and for sharing this incredible insight with us. While reading this article, I was struck by how many times I felt like I was reading my own biography - or "meeting myself" as Communication Intelligence so aptly put it. I feel as if a whole new horizon has opened up for me that may help me better know myself.
Thank you so much, I'm so glad it resonated with you. More soon!
I recently saw an article or maybe it was a TED talk about ADHD and its links to evolution. It appears that ADHD was a highly desirable trait for hunter-gatherers because the distract-ability of ADHD meant that predators could not sneak up on us. Any movement, no matter how stealthy, attracted attention. So at some point in our evolutionary path, those of us who lost that ability are less likely to notice a novel new approach to solving problems.
It’s been my experience as a teacher that ADHD students needed more variety to get to the learning our state said they needed to show. And many of my students, regardless of their neurology, benefited from that variety. My favorite thing to do was let my students pursue passion projects. Every nine weeks they could pick something they wanted to pursue and I would design lessons toward learning standards that allowed them to use their passion projects to learn them.
It’s complicated to do that, but very doable once you work through it. I just remembered as a student that school bored me in general, and my question in the classroom was always, “How do I make learning relevant and enjoyable for all my students? How can I get them excited for learning? What do they want to learn?”
Your students are lucky to have you! Finding ways to let students follow their curiosity while meeting learning standards is exactly what we need more of.
Thanks for that great post, love it! Also part of the team🙋♀️
I've been wondering for a long time if there is a "neurologic" link between multipotentialite/hypercuriosity and ADHD.
The overlap between multipotentiality and hypercuriosity is fascinating, and I suspect there are real connections we're just starting to understand. Will definitely be diving into this more in future posts!
I really liked this piece—it captures something true and under-discussed about the experience of a certain kind of mind. The term “hypercuriosity” is especially useful. The part about opening 27 browser tabs while chasing an idea, or falling into compulsive research spirals, felt incredibly familiar. It’s not just distraction; it’s a kind of urgent exploratory drive that doesn’t map neatly onto either productivity advice or clinical language.
But I want to push back a bit on the entrepreneurship angle. There’s a romantic narrative that startups are great for people who think differently, but in practice, most successful entrepreneurship rewards doing one narrow thing over and over. You’re supposed to ignore 26 of those browser tabs, find the one that aligns with traction or market fit, and grind. For hypercurious people, that’s often the exact opposite of how motivation and attention work.
So I think the real question your project opens up is: what are the institutional or organizational contexts where hypercuriosity can be a feature, not a bug? Research roles with wide scope, policy jobs that let you follow threads across domains, tools that help turn intellectual wandering into synthesis—those seem like more promising directions than assuming startup life is the answer. That’s not a knock on entrepreneurship; it’s just recognizing that the traits that make you good at seeing connections aren’t always the ones that help you stay locked onto one path for years.
This is the kind of reframing we need more of: not just celebrating neurodivergence in the abstract, but digging into what it actually looks like to build systems and careers that work with how people’s minds really operate. Looking forward to what comes next.
Yes! I linked to entrepreneurship because there's some emerging research there but you're spot on about the gap between the romantic narrative and reality. The "startup life is perfect for ADHD" assumption misses so much nuance.
What I'm interested in are the job characteristics that align with how these minds work: autonomy over time, variety, the ability to follow threads across domains, roles that reward making connections rather than repetitive tasks. That could be research, policy work, consulting, or certain entrepreneurial contexts – but it's about the features of these jobs rather than any particular path.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, this is exactly the kind of nuanced discussion I'm hoping for as I dig deeper into this research.
Having worked in both tech startups and startups that have evolved into a mature organization, my preference is always to work for Startups (Diagnosed ADHD at 35). And I realized that's the case because I struggle with creating scalable processes, drafting long memos to sell my ideas through layers of managemen, and focussing deeply on a single area rather than going broad across multiple projects.
My struggle typically revolves around structuring ideas, being concise about what I'm trying to achieve and why (i have to really control myself to not go in different tangents).
@ness I'm curious on why you chose to stay away from medication! Not sure if you've shared this in this forum before, but would love to get deeper perspective into this sometime.
Thank you for writing this.
Reclaiming my attention is something I have to consciously and actively do every day. I have to put strict (and I use the word strict because it feels that way as I enjoy exploring) but necessary barriers in place to prevent me having my entire day derailed by something that catches my curiosity during an innocent morning scroll.
I recently ended up very frustrated at the end of the day feeling pulled in a million different directions only to take a look at my browsing history and pin point the exact moment (or, I shoud say, the exact tab) where everything went off track. It was an insightful moment and reinforced to me that my hypercuriosity can be allowed but reserved for specific times in the day.
I'm really looking forward to hearing what you uncover with your research.
I'm also currently reading Tiny Experiments and thought to myself – surely she has ADHD because these strategies feel perfect for my ADHD brain! Sure enough, you do! :)
I’ve been seen and heard!!! Thank you for doing this. Much pain would have been avoided if I could have learned this when I was 15 or so.