In psychology, interest refers to both the psychological state of engagement and a relatively enduring predisposition to reengage particular content (e.g., mathematics) over time. Interest positively influences attention, goal setting, and learning strategies for people of all ages both in and out of school.

Interest is a psychological state of engagement, experienced in the moment, and also a predisposition to engage repeatedly with particular ideas, events, or objects over time.

Interest is a feeling or emotion that causes attention to focus on an object, event, or process. In contemporary psychology of interest, the term is used as a general concept that may encompass other more specific psychological terms, such as curiosity and to a much lesser degree surprise. [citation needed]