Boredom. It’s an all too familiar feeling.
The bane of many’s existence.
Although the specific feeling of boredom varies individually, most people can agree that it’s a frustrating emotion to feel. Whether you feel like you have a lack of control over what you want to be doing with your time or you have so much you want to do that it becomes overwhelming, there are plenty of different ways to tackle this mundane feeling.
Is there any benefit to boredom?
Boredom is often associated with a lack of focus and productivity. Despite the fact that boredom is unappealing, some studies have shown that boredom can have positive effects. One of these positive effects is a boost in creativity. Having an increased creative drive can lead to various productive activities. Whether that is finishing overdue work, reaching out to friends, or even organizing a room in your house, you can really find different activities to explore as a result of feeling bored.
Another benefit of boredom is that it oftentimes forces you to branch out and try new things or go out of your comfort zone. Trying new things can eventually lead one to uncover a passion of theirs that would have gone unnoticed if they had not felt that dull feeling of boredom.
Why is boredom so common?
Boredom is a feeling that everyone experiences. Just like happiness and sadness, it is simply just a part of being human. However, there are some people who are prone to face more boredom than others. There are a number of studies that suggest that men are more prone to boredom than women. Additionally, these studies suggest that age and boredom are negatively correlated, meaning that younger people are more prone to boredom than older people.
So, how can you combat your boredom?
There is a plethora of activities one could partake in in order to fight boredom. From reading to cleaning, the list goes on. A survey was sent out to the students of Pentucket asking how they battle their boredom. A majority of the answers were unsurprising.
Those surveyed were asked to describe the top three things they do to battle their boredom. Out of twenty responses, nineteen students had at least one activity that had to do with electronics. Whether that was scrolling through social media, listening to music, playing video games, or watching television varied from respondent to respondent.
Another large proportion of the respondents responded that they liked to use their boredom to their advantage by reading, drawing, cleaning, or exercising.
Students also heavily responded that they typically talked to or hung out with their friends when they were bored.
To conclude …
Ultimately, it’s clear that there are so many options when it comes to tackling boredom. It’s the truth that, although boredom can be draining, it can be a useful tool to get ahead. Boredom has both positive and negative influences, but the next time you feel yourself having an onset of boredom, see what you can gain out of it!
Kaylie Dalgar • Oct 31, 2023 at 10:35 pm
I think that this is a very interesting article! I’ve never really realized that boredom can have benefits for someone, and always just associate it with something negative. Even though boredom is a common thing and is experienced daily, it is something I overlook, and have never really thought deeply about.
Leah Whitney • Oct 31, 2023 at 9:28 pm
I found this article to be interesting, helpful, and relatable. As you mentioned, being bored can often seem like a bad thing, but I had yet to consider it can also help increase productivity. Instead of looking at it as an inherently bad thing this is helpful to see what good can be done from it. I had also never considered that a person may be forced to go outside their comfort zone in an effort to “beat” boredom. As someone with a relatively small comfort zone this is something that I will keep in mind and hopefully put into action.