Boredom

If you are easily bored, you “are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease,” reports Rachel Emma Silverman in The Wall Street Journal (2/26/13). You’re also more likely to be depressed, overeat, engage in substance abuse and gamble. This connection between boredom and a healthy life is turning the study of boredom into “an exciting field of inquiry.” The subject recently attracted some 500 attendees to the “the third annual Boring Conference in East London, where speakers delivered PowerPoint presentations on such topics as toast.”

The study of boredom involves inducing boredom by simulating “extremely dull conditions in the laboratory for participants … A blend of repetitive tasks and time-stretching delays usually does the trick.” Among the most effective techniques: “Counting the appearance of a certain letter in a long list of bibliographic references; tracing circles over and over again; having subjects wait for longer than they expected before beginning a task, while remaining seated; or watching particularly dull videos,” such as “an educational film about setting up a fish farm.”

Most people blame their circumstances, not themselves, for their boredom, according to John Eastwood of York University. His research also suggests that smartphones and other digital gadgets may “change the way people feel boredom … researchers speculate that” people feel “even more bored when they aren’t plugged in.” Connecting a boring activity to a meaningful result can keep boredom at bay, as can physical activity. Boredom researcher Yasmine Musharbash says she stays engaged by watching “how exactly everyone else is bored” while “waiting in long lines at the bank or the market.”
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