Understand why boredom happens.Erin Westgate, a researcher at the University of Florida, has spent years digging into the various drivers of boredom and has found that it arises in a few kinds of situations.
First, we can feel bored when we’re in a position where we can’t pay attention, either because the task we’re doing is too easy or too hard. “For you to be able to pay attention and maintain attention on something, you need cognitive demands and cognitive resources to be balanced,” Dr. Westgate explained — in other words, the demands of the task need to match what your brain can bring to it.
When what we’re doing feels too easy, we often can’t focus, and our inattention gives rise to boredom. This could happen when your kid makes you play Candy Land yet again or “when you are at a meeting where your boss discusses the same issue for what seems like the hundredth time and you just tune out,” said Karen Gasper, a psychologist at Pennsylvania State University who studies how feelings influence people’s lives.
We can also feel bored when the thing we’re doing feels hard and overwhelming — for instance, when there’s a work memo we must write and we’re not sure where to start. Likewise, boredom might happen “when you are watching a movie with a complicated plot, and you are just lost,” Dr. Gasper said.
You may also experience boredom when an activity doesn’t feel particularly meaningful. “You might be reading a book that has a plot that’s uninspiring and predictable. You are able to pay attention to it, but you just don’t want to,” Dr. Gasper explained. When activities don’t align with our goals or values, they often incite us to feel bored and unfulfilled.
First, we can feel bored when we’re in a position where we can’t pay attention, either because the task we’re doing is too easy or too hard. “For you to be able to pay attention and maintain attention on something, you need cognitive demands and cognitive resources to be balanced,” Dr. Westgate explained — in other words, the demands of the task need to match what your brain can bring to it.
When what we’re doing feels too easy, we often can’t focus, and our inattention gives rise to boredom. This could happen when your kid makes you play Candy Land yet again or “when you are at a meeting where your boss discusses the same issue for what seems like the hundredth time and you just tune out,” said Karen Gasper, a psychologist at Pennsylvania State University who studies how feelings influence people’s lives.
We can also feel bored when the thing we’re doing feels hard and overwhelming — for instance, when there’s a work memo we must write and we’re not sure where to start. Likewise, boredom might happen “when you are watching a movie with a complicated plot, and you are just lost,” Dr. Gasper said.
You may also experience boredom when an activity doesn’t feel particularly meaningful. “You might be reading a book that has a plot that’s uninspiring and predictable. You are able to pay attention to it, but you just don’t want to,” Dr. Gasper explained. When activities don’t align with our goals or values, they often incite us to feel bored and unfulfilled.
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