Everyone experiences boredom from time to time. The feeling that nothing catches your interest at a given moment sums up the emotional state. For the average person, it can last for a few minutes in the evening to the entirety of a Sunday afternoon. And while it’s perfectly natural, people also feel a natural response to escape boredom. Lifestyle programs, streaming channels, and periodicals from Cosmopolitan to Men’s Health release content with regular frequency that provide tips for how to alleviate boredom. And that’s all great. However, there are times when the average person is encouraged to accept that moments of boredom are innate to the human experience and use them to their advantage, instead of scrambling to fill the void with work, physical exertion, or other coping activity. We know this may seem contrary to what you’ve heard before, but when you read below you’ll find that there is a case to embrace the emotional state.
Disclaimer: This article is in reference to average bouts of boredom that one experiences on any given weekday or weekend. If you feel bored for hours on end at work, exhibit a lack of motivation or a sense of purpose, and/or constantly feel this way when with friends and loved ones, more fundamental changes may need to be made in your life with the help of counseling. For instance, research suggests a moderate to strong association between boredom proneness among individuals who struggle with anxiety and depression. If this disclaimer applies to your life, an assessment from a counselor (book here) to identify underlying mental or behavioral health issues can be beneficial.
Overview of Why Boredom Should Not Always be Seen as a Negative Emotional State But an Opportunity to Enhance One’s Mental Health and Wellness
I. How Boredom Avoidance Can Lead to Problems
People often look at boredom as the enemy, and do all they can to avoid it. Some will even go to extremes. One study found tat 67% of men and 25% of women, preferred to administer small electric shocks to themselves rather than experience boredom while sitting alone with their thoughts. Further, when our brains aren’t stimulated by engaging activities, dopamine levels can drop, leading to a feeling of boredom and a subsequent desire to escape it. These feelings about boredom can lead to avoidance behaviors. Avoidance behaviors are actions individuals take to escape or distract themselves from experiencing certain thoughts, feelings, and situations. While avoidance can provide temporary relief, it can also interfere with overall well-being. This is particularly true when unhealthy coping mechanisms (activities) are involved, because frequent participation in a given activity (to alleviate boredom) can become a habit, which can become a compulsion among those who are vulnerable or predisposed to the development of “addictive” behavior.
Examples of common coping mechanisms to dealing with boredom that can become unhealthy include the following:
Doom Scrolling
Practically everyone in modern times picks up their smartphone and taps a social media app icon when restless. This becomes a problem when a habit of endlessly scrolling through negative or distressing news and social media content is formed and feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious manifest. View more on the doom scrolling phenomenon.
Eating
Research consistently shows a link between boredom and increased food consumption, with individuals eating more when bored. Unfortunately, food choices are rarely healthy, as those high in sugar and fat can provide a quick and easy (albeit unsustainable) boost to dopamine levels that tend to drop when bored. By seeing boredom as the enemy, and turning to unhealthy food with addictive properties as a means to cope with boredom, compulsive behavior can be formed.
Shopping
Bored on a Wednesday during lunch hour? Amazon and eBay are just a smartphone tap away to help bide that idle time. The problem, is that researchers find that boredom is closely related to problematic shopping behavior. If one can instead accept boredom into their lives and leverage it (more on this in Section II) they may enjoy greater wellness and a healthier bank account.
Substance Use
Studies also establish a link between boredom and the use of mind-altering substances such as alcohol and drugs. By seeing boredom as an antagonist, and turning to unhealthy substances with addictive properties as a means to cope with boredom, compulsive behavior can be formed.
Gambling
Like with the avoidance activities addressed above (and below) gambling can raise dopamine levels and make an individual feel more “engaged” when boredom strikes. By seeing boredom as a nemesis, and turning to gambling as a means to cope with boredom, compulsive behavior can be formed. View more on the problem with gambling out of boredom.
Video Gaming
There are times when video gaming can be entertaining, productive, and healthy. Moments of boredom are not one of them. University researchers have found gaming can be harmful to players who game to escape feelings of boredom:
“The problem with this boredom ‘fix’ is that they end up playing whenever they are bored, and end up experiencing problems tied to excessive game play […] During gameplay, players may achieve optimal arousal, engaged focus and attention and a reduction in feelings of monotony, but this heightened urge-to-play among escape players can have negative consequences and lead to excessive time gaming.”
Once again, in perceiving boredom as the enemy, and turning to unhealthy gaming as a means to cope with boredom, compulsive behavior can be formed.
Consumption of pornography
Studies find that pornography use can be related to boredom, with additional studies finding that boredom is a significant predictor of pornography use in married adults. In not accepting that it’s OK to be bored from time to time, and turning to unhealthy use of pornography as a means to cope, compulsive behavior can be formed.
II. Potential Benefits of Being Bored
Retrain your brain to perceive boredom not as an enemy, but an opportunity. In recognizing that it’s OK to feel bored, one needn’t feel an urge to run from it, and instead enter a mindful flow that can provide beneficial results. The benefits of being bored are ultimately steeped in what’s gained from not having to focus attention at a given activity. Attention towards a productive activity taxes a person’s limited cognitive resources and consequently robs their brains from enjoying an opportunity to find a sense of calm, alleviate stress, and tap into facilities that may otherwise be buried under focused attention. That’s right, by “letting go” when recognizing boredom, you may free-up space to achieve more.
Creativity, Positive Ideation, and Pursuit of Passion
In the finale of the hit AMC series, MAD MEN (spoiler alert), main character and ad-man Don Draper is found searching for inner peace while dealing with a creativity block at a meditation retreat. As Don participates in a mindfulness exercise, the camera slowly moves in on his face as he suddenly smiles with satisfaction. The scene then cuts to the iconic Coca-Cola “Hilltop” commercial from 1971 as the credits begin to roll, inferring that Don was freed from his block to come up with one of the most iconic campaigns of an entire generation. Don had to learn to embrace the downtime in life that he wouldn’t allow for, and used alcohol and sex to cope with, in the past. The intent in referencing the scene (watch here) is to draw attention to the fact that in allowing oneself to accept boredom as a potentially beneficial state of mind, one may reap the benefits.
Researchers at Harvard have found that boredom can be beneficial for creativity and problem-solving. They state that when our minds are not focused on a specific task, they are free to wander and daydream, which can lead to inventive ideas and solutions. Meanwhile, research cited by the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation (GLIAI) indicates that small doses of boredom (common to the average person) primes the brain to perform well in problem-solving and other convergent thinking tasks.
Ultimately, accepting boredom can promote creative pathways. It allows the mind to wander and escape entrenched patterns of thinking that may lead to unexpected connections and subsequently explore new ideas. Armed with his newfound tool to tapping into creativity and innovation, individuals may be be motivated to seek out new experiences. New experiences may include passion projects and/or entrepreneurial endeavors that their brains didn’t allow the room for before. When chasing down a new happiness-inducing goal, one is freed to experience a healthy and sustainable lift in mental health, wellness, and an improved quality of life.
You may initially struggle to embrace stillness and accept that boredom can be beneficial. You may also struggle to abstain from boredom avoidance behaviors. This where Kindbridge Behavioral Health comes in. Your journey begins with a FREE assessment to identify (or dismiss the presence of) any underlying issues that may get in the way of receiving the mental health benefits of boredom. From there, we will connect you to a counselor who will help you learn mindfulness practices. Reach out via one of the contacts provided below to explore the wonderful possibilities…of doing nothing.
CALL +1 (877) 426-4258
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Email help@kindbridge.com
