Why kids lose their sense of wonder, according to Carl Sagan

Celebrated science communicator Carl Sagan had a way of speaking and writing that instilled listeners and readers with wonder and nurtured the human drive to explore. It was partially for this reason that the Cornell University scientist and narrator of the timeless PBS documentary Cosmos was often invited into schools to guest-teach kids of all ages.

In his book, The Demon-Haunted World, Sagan shared how regularly impressed he was with kindergartners and first-graders. “Many of these children are natural-born scientists — although heavy on the wonder side and light on the skepticism. They’re curious, intellectually vigorous. Provocative and insightful questions bubble out of them.”

We lose our wonder

But at the same time, Sagan noted a disconcerting transformation that consistently occurs by the time kids grow to become seniors in high school:

“They memorize ‘facts.’ By and large, though, the joy of discovery, the life behind those facts, has gone out of them. They’ve lost much of the wonder and gained very little skepticism. They’re worried about asking ‘dumb’ questions; they’re willing to accept inadequate answers…”

Sagan speculated on why this invariably happens. “I’d guess that it’s partially peer pressure not to excel; partly that society teaches short-term gratification; partly the impression that science or mathematics won’t buy you a sports car; partly that so little is expected of students…” he wrote.