Curiosity (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

9

Form Stronger, Longer-Lasting Connections

By Utkarsh Amitabh

Have you heard of Paul Erdős?¹ Erdős (pronounced “air-dish”) was a quirky Jewish mathematician who could mentally, and rather quickly, calculate the number of seconds a person had lived by the age of four. Time magazine called him “the oddball’s oddball.”² He was known for showing up at people’s doors at all hours, saying, “My mind is open.”³ What that meant was, “I’m ready to take on new mathematical challenges.”

Over the course of his life, Erdős collaborated with more than 500 mathematicians. He also played “math matchmaker,” introducing peers around the world to one another to advance mathematics research.⁴ These collaborations propelled the computing revolution and paved the ...