How to Be a Better Human How to add more exploration in your life (w/ Alex Hutchinson)
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Mar 30, 2026 
Alex Hutchinson, science journalist and author who studies human performance and curiosity. He talks about exploration as everyday choices, the biology behind our urge to seek novelty, and simple habits like turning off turn-by-turn directions. Short stories include a wild backpacking date and how exploring with kids reshaped his view of discovery.
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Exploration Is Embracing Uncertainty To Learn
- Exploration is choosing uncertainty to learn rather than seeking novelty for its own sake.
- Alex Hutchinson defines exploring as pursuing effortful, risky choices that reveal new information about the world or yourself.
Dopamine Makes Us Crave Surprise
- Humans are biologically wired to seek surprise via dopamine signalling tied to prediction error.
- Hutchinson cites the DRD4 receptor and human global migration as evidence that we value discovering the unknown.
Fourth Date Was A Nine Day Wilderness Trip
- Hutchinson's fourth date with his future wife was a nine-day unserviced backpacking trip in the Wilmore Wilderness.
- They found an empty ranger's cabin with food and extended the trip, which cemented his love for unscripted travel.
