Urges now, interests later: On the factors and dynamics of epistemic curiosity.

More information today is becoming more accessible to more people at an ever-growing rate. How does epistemic curiosity operate in this expanding informational landscape? We test a novel theory which postulates that experienced curiosity is a function of two psychological factors: Interest, which is cognitive, "cool" and relatively stable in time, and Urge that is "hot" and quick to rise and decay. These factors determine one's experienced curiosity at any given point in time.