You might say that subreddits like r/NotInteresting are born of people battling boredom tooth and nail. But then again — isn’t all of internet kind of for that purpose? A lot has already been written and said about how we’re always looking for the next dopamine hit, especially with social media and smartphones, but the truth is that boredom might not be in our nature.
If you had to really think about it, when was the last time you just sat and did nothing? Just spent time with your thoughts. For many people, that question might be pretty hard to answer, as some try to run away from feeling bored as hard as they can. In fact, research shows that we'd rather choose to be stimulated by pain than to spend extended time inside our own heads.
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In 2015, researchers conducted a series of experiments with college-age adults and found that people might rather do something negative than do nothing at all. When they had to spend 6-15 minutes alone in a room and had nothing else to do but think, some participants administered electric shock to themselves.
More accurately, 67% of male participants and 25% of female participants gave themselves at least one shock during the alone period. The researchers theorized that people find it hard to think pleasant thoughts, and once our minds wander to places we'd rather avoid, we try to escape them by giving ourselves an electric shock. Meditation and other mind-training techniques may ease this unwillingness, yet, as the authors wrote, "The untutored mind does not like to be alone with itself."
How often do you turn to your smartphone to fight boredom, Pandas? In fact, you're probably doing it right now as you scroll through this list. Don't worry, you're in good company: according to a 2012 study, 42% of smartphone users turn to them to cure boredom.
But recent research shows that our phones might not be helping us in the quest to fight boredom at all. In fact, they might be doing the opposite. Dr. Wijnand van Tilburg, an experimental social psychologist at the University of Essex, found that our tolerance for boredom diminishes the more we indulge in fighting it by scrolling on our phones.
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It becomes a closed loop: we open an app and scroll endlessly to avoid boredom, but we chip away at our tolerance for moments when we can silently reflect. "Our research suggests that people who dislike boredom most may be especially likely to fall into that habit and scroll for longer," van Tilburg explained.
"If we automatically turn to our phones the moment boredom appears, we may be reinforcing a cycle where we become less able to tolerate those quiet moments and more dependent on digital distraction."
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Dr. Wijnand van Tilburg emphasizes that being bored is actually good for us. It allows us to reflect and brings out creativity. A 2014 study by researchers at the University of Central Lancashire showed that boring activities lead to increased creativity. "When you’re bored, you tend to daydream and your mind wanders and this is a very important part of the creative process," co-author of the study and senior psychology lecturer Sandi Mann explained.
What's the most "uninteresting" thing you've seen lately, Pandas? Did it help cure your boredom, at least a little? Share your thoughts with us in the comments! And if you need some more help to fight boredom, check out these hilarious relatable posts and memes, and this list of silly, funny, and weird animals that might lift your mood.
