Spoiler Alert! Curiosity encourages patience and joy in the presence of uncertainty

Current models of curiosity postulate that it motivates behavior towards the resolution of uncertainty. Yet in everyday life, we often prolong uncertainty, for example avoiding spoilers for just-released movies. We investigated whether higher curiosity favors delaying resolution to experience an event as it unfolds. We developed a video task in which line drawings slowly resolved into objects. As each video progressed, participants (N=1338, Prolific) made choices about how long to keep watching. We showed that when curious, people often choose to remain uncertain as information is gradually revealed, rather than alleviating uncertainty immediately (e.g., viewing a spoiler). Moreover, contrary to prevailing models, we demonstrate that higher curiosity induced enjoyment instead of discomfort. Moreover, choices to delay resolution enhanced satisfaction by and improved memory for drawings. Our findings support a reconceptualization of curiosity as a state that can steer us away from instant gratification and towards the patience that enables discovery.