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Common definition -

An article from Psychology Today defines boredom as a "deeply unpleasant state of 'unmet arousal,'" expanding that "you are aroused rather than despondent, but, for one or more reasons, your arousal cannot be met or directed."

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What is boredom? -

Reasons to be bored can be internal (i.e. lack of imagination, motivation, or concentration), or external (i.e. no environmental stimuli). Basically you want to do something that will stimulate you, but can’t. And being aware of this inability leads to frustration.

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A human trait -

The key here is this awareness, or consciousness. This is why humans suffer from it and animals, arguably, don’t.

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Why we can’t stand being bored -

The most unpleasant thing about being bored is that it mostly puts us in contact with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. These are usually dulled by our daily activities.

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Individual -

Boredom is perceived and experienced differently by everyone. For instance, there are activities some find utterly boring, while others experience the opposite.

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Individual -

For example, some might find reading a book or taking a walk a boring thing to do, while others might find it exciting and stimulating.

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Spectrum of boredom -

Not all boredom is created equal. Some types of boredom can be unpleasant and negative, while others can actually have positive outcomes.

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Different types of boredom -

A group of German researchers conducted a study on boredom and identified five types of boredom: indifferent, calibrating, searching, reactant, and apathetic boredom.

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Indifferent -

This type of boredom is translated by feelings of calmness and withdrawal from the world. A state of “cheerful fatigue.”

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Calibrating -

This type of boredom is described by wandering thoughts and not exactly knowing what to do. This leads to a “slightly unpleasant emotional state.” This type of boredom is more present when we perform repetitive tasks.

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Searching -

This is a state of unpleasant restlessness, when we try to 'escape' boredom by engaging in activities such as hobbies.

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Reactant -

This is the most negative type of boredom. It’s characterized by high levels of arousal, and people do all it takes to remove themselves from that situation.

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Apathetic -

Apathetic boredom operates at a deeper level and is often connected with helplessness and depression. So in this case, professional help might be required.

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Keeping boredom at bay -

We do everything we can to avoid boredom. More than any other time in history, we have tools to keep boredom at bay.

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We dread being bored -

We can’t stand the possibility of being bored. But what if instead of doing everything we can to avoid it, we embraced boredom?

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Boredom can be good -

Boredom can be a catalyst for change. It can allow our brains to work differently at the subconscious level.

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Boredom can make you more productive -

A study found that a group of  individuals who had completed a boring task, later performed better on an idea-generating task than those who did an interesting task beforehand.

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Boredom can make you more creative -

Psychologists conducted a study on why elation and boredom promote associative thought more than distress and relaxation, and found that people who experienced boredom were more creative.

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Boredom can make you more goal-oriented -

You often daydream when you’re bored, and it turns out that’s actually a good thing. Researchers found that doing so is predominantly "future-focused," so you will subconsciously plan and anticipate future goals.

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Boredom can make you more self-aware -

According to philosophy professor Andreas Elpidorou, "boredom is both a warning sign that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a 'push' that motivates us to switch goals and projects."

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How to make boredom work for you -

Look for activities that will allow the good types of boredom to manifest (i.e. indifferent and calibrating).

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Boring activities that can be good for you -

Senior psychology lecturer Sandi Mann suggests activities such as walking a familiar route, swimming laps, or even sitting with your eyes closed. The key is to let your mind wander without music or stimulation to guide it.

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Boredom vs relaxation -

It’s important to understand the difference. As put by Mann, “Purposefully tranquil activity, such as yoga or meditation, likely doesn’t meet the definition of trying and failing to find stimulation.” Essentially you’re not trying and failing to find stimulation, so it does not lead to boredom.

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Avoid swiping and scrolling the boredom away -

Mann also stresses that smartphones are preventing us from experiencing boredom effectively.

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Avoid swiping and scrolling the boredom away -

She added, “We're trying to swipe and scroll the boredom away, but in doing that, we're actually making ourselves more prone to boredom, because every time we get our phone out we're not allowing our mind to wander and to solve our own boredom problems.”

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Final (and not so boring) words -

Philosopher Bertrand Russell, who spent time in prison, said: "A generation that cannot endure boredom will be a generation of little men, of men unduly divorced from the slow process of nature, of men in whom every vital impulse slowly withers as though they were cut flowers in a vase."

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See also - What the ancient Greeks can teach us about mental health

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