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Curiosity gap 0:50
A 50-second explainer of Curiosity gap, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Curiosity gap demo
What this video covers
The curiosity gap is the itch you feel when you're shown that there's something you don't know but almost do. Opening a small gap between what someone knows and what they want to know creates a pull to close it - which is what makes a good teaser, subject line or "see why" link so hard to ignore.
The plain version told you everything, so there was nothing to chase. The gap version held one piece back - and you felt the tug to find out, didn't you? That pull is the curiosity gap: a sliver of missing information your mind wants to complete. It works best when what's on the other side actually rewards the curiosity, rather than punishing it.
