You have probably experienced that feeling of emptiness on more than one occasion, of not knowing what to do, of not finding satisfaction in ordinary things, of feeling bored beyond words. However, boredom is not just a lack of interest, it does not just arise, its psychological consequences are much deeper and so are its causes.
1. It alters the perception of time
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada recruited 476 students and asked them to complete a 28-question questionnaire that was purposely designed to elicit feelings of boredom.
They then had to complete a task that tested how quickly they could switch their attention: they had to decipher one or two letters in a string of numbers that was displayed on a computer screen. It is worth noting that, as a rule, our brains have limited attentional resources, so if the second letter appears too soon, we will not be able to detect it, which is known as “attentional blink.”
The participants then had to look at a dot moving around a circle and estimate how many seconds this movement lasted. Interestingly, the people who showed greater signs of boredom had no difficulty in detecting the letters, indicating that their attention was working well, but they made very long estimates of time. This shows that it is not a merely subjective sensation; when we are bored, time does indeed pass more slowly.
2. Stimulates creativity
Boredom doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, as much as we hate being bored, a study conducted at the University of Central Lancashire has shown that boredom boosts creativity. How did they come to this conclusion?
These researchers recruited 170 people. Half of them were asked to copy phone numbers from a directory for 15 minutes, thereby ensuring that they would become bored. The other half, on the other hand, went straight to the creative task.
Everyone was asked to list the uses they could give to a polystyrene cup. At this point an unexpected result emerged: the most boring people not only mentioned more uses but these were also more original. Why?
Researchers say that boredom is a sign that we are stuck and need new goals, so when we find them, we are likely to approach the activity with a much more positive and enthusiastic attitude. It is not surprising that some writers confess that in order to write, they need a period of boredom, where they feel stuck, because often after that, that great idea appears.
3. Reveals little knowledge of himself
We tend to think that boredom is linked to a lack of stimulation from our surroundings, but a study conducted at York University in Toronto suggests otherwise: boredom is linked to a lack of connection with our emotions, a problem of self-knowledge.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers asked 204 people to complete a questionnaire that assessed their tendency to fall into periods of boredom, as well as their knowledge of their emotions and their tendency to focus on themselves or on the environment.
They discovered a significant correlation between boredom and the tendency to focus on the environment. People who were more likely to be bored also had difficulties recognizing and managing their emotions. In fact, if we think about it, this is not such an unusual discovery, since when we tend to look for sources of satisfaction outside ourselves, it is likely that when we are alone with ourselves or when the stimuli are no longer novel, we will become bored.
Boredom can therefore also be a sign that you need to reconnect with your inner world, rediscover your emotions and spend more time with yourself.
References:
Mann, S. & Cadman, R. (2013) Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative? Creativity Research Journal ; 26(2): 165-173.
Eastwood, J.D. et. Al. (2007) A desire for desires: Boredom and its relationship to alexithymia. Personality and Individual Differences ; 42: 1035-1045.
Danckert, J. A. & Allman, A. A. (2005). Time flies when you’re having fun: Temporal estimation and the experience of boredom. Brain and Cognition 59: 236-245.
