Scientists have been concerned from ancient times to understand boredom and in what ways it can be diminished. Neuroscience and psychology specialists offer some tips to those who want to remove this feeling, in a healthier way than using phones.
Using mobile phones is not always a remedy for boredom. Photo: freepik.com
A study quoted by the British publication “The Guardian” shows that people prefer to experience a state of physical discomfort than to fall prey to boredom. Thus, leave alone in a room for 15 minutes, almost half of the participants in such research have preferred to press a button that administered an easy electric shock.
What is boredom
Some authors romored boredom. “The philosopher Walter Benjamin once wrote in his book Illuminations: the boredom is the dream bird that closes the egg egg. That is: boredom is a rich, clay soil of creativity, and withdrawal from the constant stimulus of daily life allows the mind to expand ”, The Guardian shows.
The writer Lev Tolstoi described her as a “desire for desires”, and the experts quoted by the British publication considered the right description.
“When you get bored, you want to be engaged in something, but you don’t want anything that is currently available. Boredom is often combined with laziness or apathy, but they are very different. Boredom is much more a motivational, agitated state ”, shows Dr. James Danckert, professor of neuroscience at the University of Waterloo.
Erin Westgate, associate professor of social psychology at the University of Florida, suggests that there are two types of boredom with two different causes: meaningless boredom and attention.
“The boredom without meaning appears when we feel that what we do has no meaning. For example, when a student says “mathematics is boring” because he cannot understand how calculation is related to his life. Attentional boredom is when we can’t do something because it is too hard or too easy for us, so we can’t pay attention. For example, when a student says “Mathematics is boring”, because the calculation is too advanced for them “he says, according to The Guardian.
Specialists quoted by the British publication say that boredom is a negative affective state, meaning it is an unpleasant emotional experience, such as anger or sadness. However, like these, it is not inherently good or bad. The way we react to boredom has a lot of dealing with our mental state before we get bored, says Dr. Yasmine Saad, clinical psychologist.
When a person is balanced and capable of regulating his emotions, he can address boredom with curiosity rather than aversion, he adds.
How we get rid of boredom
The feeling of boredom has been described by ancient philosophers like Seneca, but compared to the novelty of the present is the ease of avoiding boredom due to digital means, such as smartphones, social networks, video games and streaming services.
“Constant stimulation makes us so that we are much busier, much more stimulated and less equipped to cope with boredom ”, says psychologist Yasmine Saad.
In some cases, calling on the phone to avoid boredom is reasonable, but there are other means to cope with boredom, experts show, quoted by the British publication. Here are some of these:
Calm down. Boredom is a hectic state. “When you are restless, you do not always make the best decisions. When you feel bored, the first thing to do is breathe deeply and try not to trouble yourself ”says Dr. James Danckert.
Reformulate the situation. If a project or exercise seems meaningless, find a way to make sense. “Think about why you do what you do,” says Erin Westgate. According to the specialist, research has shown that when high school students reflected on why math was important to them and how it is related to their own goals (for example: I need good mathematics notes to enter at the University) – not only they became more interested in their work, but they continued to get better grades.
Regulates the difficulty. If you are experiencing attentional boredom, which means that a project is too easy or too difficult to keep your attention, find ways to do more or less difficult task. “The projects that are too difficult can be divided into smaller pieces and easier to manage. And too light tasks can be shaped to include more challenge-try to complete the task in a limited period of time, for example, or give you rewards to complete certain activities”, Says Erin Westgate
Make time for play. Boredom is often caused by “Lack of connection with yourself ”, says Dr. Yasmine Saad. If you don’t know what you like or what interests you, how can you get rid of boredom? Give yourself time and space to explore what activities are attracting and stimulating you. “The more you are playful, the less you get bored.” adds the psychologist.
Just do something else. In some cases, there is no solution to boredom – you just have to do something else. “He admits that you are bored and, instead of lengthening that feeling, realize what he is trying to tell you. It could be to find a new job or a new relationship ”says Erin Westgate.
