What is boredom in psychology

At some point in our lives we have all experienced the feeling of boredom, which is nothing more than a state of mood in which we are dissatisfied, we perceive everything more slowly and things seem very monotonous and greys. In addition, boredom has been the subject of numerous psychological and psychiatric studies throughout history. In fact, Tolstoy defined it as "a desire to have desires."

If you want to discover more about this emotional state, in this Psychology-Online article, you will discover what is boredom in psychology, its causes and consequences. Best of all, you will see that not everything related to boredom is negative, since being bored also has its mental and creative benefits.

Index

1. Is boredom an emotion?
2. Causes of boredom
3. Consequences of boredom
4. benefits of boredom

The APA Dictionary of Psychology^[1]define boredom as an emotion that arises in the absence of stimuli present in the environment. It is a condition that is usually associated with sadness and with the feeling that something is missing, although we cannot say for sure what it is.

Normally, it is usually a transient or momentary state, for example, when we have to wait to be served in a doctor's office or queue to enter a concert. Even so, it can also become an existential and limiting condition that translates into a high level of personal dissatisfaction.

However, you should know that boredom is an emotional state that does not always translate into laziness, but can be essential to cultivate certain capacities inherent in human nature, such as waiting and the adaptation to different daily situations.

Boredom is a human emotional response to a lack of engagement with the perceived world, as well as an unpleasant and languid feeling of doing nothing. However, it is not always a situational response, since depends on different factors. Next, we will show you why boredom occurs:

• The subjective scale of personal demands: Each person has different motivations, aspirations and situations that keep him on his toes. Therefore, the level of boredom varies from person to person.
• Moods, attitudes, desires very challenging and high expectations can also trigger boredom.
• Thelack of concentration in daily tasks such as conversation, reading, watching television or working, among other things. If you have trouble concentrating, we recommend this article on strategies to improve concentration.
• lack of focus to increase attention.
• mental monotony or an environment that does not meet the expectations we had.
• The need to interact with new stimuli on a daily basis: When we are constantly looking for something new and stimulating on a daily basis, it is common for boredom to arise.

What happens when the brain gets bored? The emotional state of boredom can cause different consequences that respond to excessive impulses that harm their own interests. Among the main consequences of boredom, the following stand out:

• Feeling that the passage of time is slowing down: can be accompanied by hostile, irritable and volatile attitudes.
• Constant search for stimuli or new alternatives that are not always beneficial to the individual.
• Intake of harmful substances for the body such as drugs, alcohol or eating in abundance to counteract boredom.
• If not handled assertively, it can trigger a acute state of anxiety or depression. If you have any questions, in this article you will see How do I know if I have depression or anxiety?.

Contrary to popular belief, boredom is an emotional state that can benefit us in many ways. We show you how below:

• It's a reflective element that allows analysis of reality just as it is It acts as an indicator for you to reflect on what you should change when you are bored.
• A bored person can have the best ideasas well as the most creative. This occurs because constructive thinking is activated, which gives way to reflection.
• boredom is a excellent condition to assess productivity staff. It allows us to analyze if we are wasting time on tasks that do not benefit us.
• From the pedagogical point of view, monotony is essential for children to discover what motivates them and entertains them. Undoubtedly, if managed effectively, boredom becomes an excellent catalyst.

First of all, it is important to learn to manage boredom in order to change our focus towards other more stimulating aspects that give us greater benefits on a personal and professional level.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is boredom in psychology, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.

1. APA Dictionary of Psychology (2020). Definition of boredom. https://dictionary.apa.org/boredom

• Ahmed, SMS (1990). Psychometric properties of the boredom propensity scale. Perception. Acuity. Skills 71, 963–966. doi: 10.2466/pms.1990.71.3.963
• Anton, m. c. (2012). Boredom. Perspectives in Psychology, 9(3), 104-109. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo? code=5113946