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Why Boredom Can Be Good for You (If You’re Doing it Properly)

Source: Unsplash/HutomoAbrianto

Learn the difference between being bored and experiencing boredom, and how to harness a bounty of benefits we bet you never bargained for.

We live in an overly entertained society, yet we’ve never suffered from boredom as we do today

In this current information era we are constantly connected to technology, and we have access to such a staggering variety of ways to spend our down time that we ought not even know what boredom feels like. However, boredom seems to be on the rise; it appears the more we have to stimulate us, the more stimulation we desire. But boredom is neutral , and it’s up to you to turn it into something either positive or negative.

Why boredom is good for you Many people believe there is no benefit to boredom, but it is a very important emotion, as psychologist Sandi Mann explains. Source: YouTube/BBC

Are you actually bored or simply experiencing boredom?

The difference between the being bored and boredom can be a deciding factor in your overall satisfaction with life.

It’s important to understand that boredom is not lack of stimulation. Paradoxically, the more distractions and external stimuli we pursue, the more bored we seem to become.

But boredom is a blank sheet. Being bored is a kind of escapism; a mental state we choose in order to avoid self-reflection.

We often feel bored because, deep down, we know we have more to offer. Boredom is a useful and powerful tool that can stimulate us to rethink our relationship with the world. 

Boredom is a ‘crisis of meaning,’ that invites us to reflect on how we engage with the world.
Boredom is not an external force Boredom is a ‘crisis of meaning,’ that invites us to reflect on how we engage with the world. Source: Unsplash/JoshuaRawson-Harris

Boredom is not an external force; it’s how you interact with the world.

Canadian professor John Eastwood, director of the Boredom Lab at York University, found two distinct types of personality that suffer from boredom, and neither type is especially dull.

He believes boredom is a ‘crisis of meaning,’ that invites us to reflect on how we engage with the world, and he debunked the misconception that “only boring people get bored.”

So the first type of person has an impulsive mindset and is continually seeking new experiences. The world isn’t enough of a thrill ride — it’s chronically under-stimulating to them.

The second type experiences the opposite: the world is a fearful place. They try not to stray outside their comfort zone. Their high-sensitivity to discomfort keeps them withdrawn. However, they don’t feel satisfied with being comfortable, and chronic boredom sets in.

We crave for more leisure time. But, when we do have free time, we don’t know what to do with it!
Boredom is a modern social malaise We crave for more leisure time. But, when we do have free time, we don’t know what to do with it! Source: Unsplash/JulianHoward

The origins of boredom and how boredom is a modern social malaise

We live in an excessively entertained society, yet we’ve never suffered from boredom as we do now.

In the past, when people were busy trying to survive, boredom simply wasn’t a option. They spent all their time securing necessities such as food or shelter; they didn’t have time to get bored.

Today however, we are massively overstimulated — with easy access to a virtually limitless choice of entertainment options that is actually feeding boredom rather than preventing it.

Dr. Sandi Mann, author of The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom is Good, explains: “The more entertained we are, the more entertainment we need to feel satisfied. The more we fill our world with fast-moving, high-intensity, ever-changing stimulation, the more we get used to that and the less tolerant we become of lower levels.”

We crave for more leisure time. But, when we do have free time, we don’t know what to do with it! Nothing seems interesting enough to deserve our valuable attention, so we end up doing nothing and get bored.

Our notions of how things ought to be are our most significant distraction. We get bored with our own repetitive thought patterns.

Source: Medium/GustavoRazzetti

Chronic boredom has a direct relationship with compulsive behaviours Source: Unsplash/KatelynMontagna

Boredom is neutral , and  it’s up to you turn it into either a positive or negative

When we feel bored, it’s easy to lose focus. Chronic attention problems such as attention deficit or hyperactivity disorders are linked to monotony.

Chronic boredom, continually feeling bored, has a direct relationship with compulsive behaviours.

Research shows boredom to be responsible for increased risk of overeating, gambling, alcohol, and drug abuse, among other self-destructive compulsive habits. People with high boredom-proneness are significantly more likely to suffer from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression.

Boredom can lead to procrastination. When people get bored in a meeting, conference or analysing a report, their performance drops dramatically. Chronic boredom is one of the leading causes of depression in the workplace too.

Not addressing boredom is potentially dangerous — it keeps you away from seeing yourself clearly. But boredom is neutral , and  it’s up to you turn it into either something positive or negative.

Recovering the pleasure of performing small duties builds a sense of pride and achievement. Turn doing chores into your zen.
Reclaim the joy in performing mundane tasks Recovering the pleasure of performing small duties builds a sense of pride and achievement. Turn doing chores into your zen. Source: Unsplash/AutriTaheri

How to turn the idle mind into an asset

When we feel bored, we crave more entertainment and distractions. However, that only leads to more frustration and disappointment.

To defeat boredom, you need less, not more, stimulation and novelty.

1. Embracing boredom as a force for good

While it seems counterintuitive, feeling bored now will make you less bored in the future .

People with higher self-awareness and self-control are less prone to feeling bored. Meditation is a powerful tool to let your repetitive thought pattern free. Once you stop resisting boredom, it’s no longer threatening. 

Boredom, like silence, is not just the absence of noise — it invites the presence of focus. Mental noise keeps you busy. Remove distractions and start listening. What is your boredom trying to tell you?

2. Boredom is food for creativity

Your brain likes to escape from the feeling of boredom; instead of providing external stimulation, let it feed on internal elements. Mind wandering invites creativity; rather than trying to focus on external stimuli, let it find its own way shifting from one idea to another.

3. Try to avoid technology when you feel bored

Entertainment snacks will make you crave for more; rather than controlling your boredom, your need for distraction will never be satisfied. Technology is anything but a boredom cure.

4. Reclaim the joy in performing mundane tasks

We have become so comfortable that our mind rejects doing routine chores. They feel boring. Recovering the pleasure of performing small duties builds a sense of pride and achievement. Turn doing chores into your zen.

Train your mind to realise that boredom is not about what you do, but how you do it. Boredom helps you rethink your relationship with the world.

Source: Medium/GustavoRazzetti

The benefits of boredom Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Deputy Director for Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. Foley worked to reimagine the CMA as a 21st century institution that is engaging, meaningful and transformative --an institution that impacts the health and growth of the community by cultivating, celebrating and championing creativity. Source: YouTube/TEDxTalks
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What the boffins say about the benefits of boredom

Boredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. The International Interdisciplinary Boredom Conference gathered humanities scholars in Warsaw for the fifth time in April. Here are some research resources to further your understanding of boredom and its benefits.