Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including bad driving, [5] mindless snacking, [6] binge-drinking, [7] risky sex, [8] and problem gambling. [9] In fact, many of us would take pain over boredom. One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather self-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. [10] Probing this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could self-administer electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did. [11]

But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging contemplation and daydreaming, it can spur creativity. An early, much-cited study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exer-cises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers to fend off boredom. [12] A British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more prolific. [13]

In our always-connected world, boredom may be an elusive state, but it is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while. You might unlock your next big idea.

The Studies:

[1] Eastwood et al., “The Unengaged Mind” (Perspectives on Psychological Science, Sept. 2012)

[2] Farmer and Sundberg, “Boredom Proneness” (Journal of Personality Assessment, Spring 1986)

[3] Fahlman et al., “Development and Validation of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale” (Assessment, Feb. 2013)

[4] Goetz et al., “Types of Boredom” (Motivation and Emotion, June 2014)

[5]Steinberger et al., “The Antecedents, Experience, and Coping Strategies of Driver Boredom in Young Adult Males” (Journal of Safety Research, Dec. 2016)

[6] Havermans et al., “Eating and Inflicting Pain Out of Boredom” (Appetite, Feb. 2015)

[7] Biolcati et al., “ ‘I Cannot Stand the Boredom’ ” (Addictive Behaviors Reports, June 2016)

[8] Miller et al., “Was Bob Seger Right?” (Leisure Sciences, Jan. 2014)

[9] Mercer and Eastwood, “Is Boredom Associated With Problem Gambling Behaviour?” (International Gambling Studies, April 2010)

[10] Wilson et al., “Just Think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind” (Science, July 2014)

[11]Nederkoorn et al., “Self-Inflicted Pain Out of Boredom” (Psychiatry Research, March 2016)

[12] Schubert, “Boredom as an Antagonist of Creativity” (Journal of Creative Behavior, Dec. 1977)

[13] Mann and Cadman, “Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative?” (Creativity Research Journal, May 2014)