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BoredomWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Boredom
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Boredomisanemotionalstateexperiencedwhenanindividual
isleftwithoutanythinginparticulartodo,andnotinterestedin
theirsurroundings.Thefirstrecordeduseofthewordboredomis
inthenovelBleakHousebyCharlesDickens,writtenin1852,[1]
inwhichitappearssixtimes,althoughtheexpressiontobea
borehadbeenusedinprintinthesenseof"tobetiresomeor
dull"since1768.[2]TheFrenchtermforboredom,ennui,is
sometimesusedinEnglishaswell.

Contents

Asouvenirsellerappearsboredasshe
waitsforcustomers.

1Psychology
2Philosophy
3Causesandeffects
4Inpopularculture
5Seealso
6References

Psychology
BoredomhasbeendefinedbyCynthiaD.Fisherintermsofits
maincentralpsychologicalprocesses:"anunpleasant,transient
affectivestateinwhichtheindividualfeelsapervasivelackof
interestanddifficultyconcentratingonthecurrentactivity."[3]
MarkLearyetal.describeboredomas"anaffectiveexperience
associatedwithcognitiveattentionalprocesses."[4]Inpositive
psychology,boredomisdescribedasaresponsetoamoderate
challengeforwhichthesubjecthasmorethanenoughskill.[5]
Therearethreetypesofboredom,allofwhichinvolveproblems
BoredombyGastondeLaTouche,
ofengagementofattention.Theseincludetimeswhenweare
1893
preventedfromengaginginwantedactivity,whenweareforced
toengageinunwantedactivity,orwhenwearesimplyunablefor
noapparentreasontomaintainengagementinanyactivityor
[6]
spectacle. Boredompronenessisatendencytoexperienceboredomofalltypes.Thisistypically
assessedbytheBoredomPronenessScale.[7]Recentresearchhasfoundthatboredompronenessis
clearlyandconsistentlyassociatedwithfailuresofattention.[8]Boredomanditspronenessareboth
theoreticallyandempiricallylinkedtodepressionandsimilarsymptoms.[9][10][11]Nonetheless,boredom
pronenesshasbeenfoundtobeasstronglycorrelatedwithattentionallapsesaswithdepression.[9]
Althoughboredomisoftenviewedasatrivialandmildirritant,pronenesstoboredomhasbeenlinkedto
averydiverserangeofpossiblepsychological,physical,educational,andsocialproblems.[12]
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Philosophy
Boredomisaconditioncharacterizedbyperceptionofone'senvironmentasdull,tedious,andlackingin
stimulation.Thiscanresultfromleisureandalackofaestheticinterests.Labor,however,andevenart
maybealienatedandpassive,orimmersedintedium.Thereisaninherentanxietyinboredompeople
willexpendconsiderableefforttopreventorremedyit,yetinmanycircumstances,itisacceptedas
sufferingtobeendured.Commonpassivewaystoescapeboredomaretosleeportothinkcreative
thoughts(daydream).Typicalactivesolutionsconsistinanintentionalactivityofsomesort,often
somethingnew,asfamiliarityandrepetitionleadtothetedious.
Boredomalsoplaysaroleinexistentialistthought.Incontexts
whereoneisconfined,spatiallyorotherwise,boredommaybe
metwithvariousreligiousactivities,notbecausereligionwould
wanttoassociateitselfwithtedium,butrather,partlybecause
boredommaybetakenastheessentialhumancondition,to
whichGod,wisdom,ormoralityaretheultimateanswers.Itis
takeninthissensebyvirtuallyallexistentialistphilosophersas
wellasbyArthurSchopenhauer.
MartinHeideggerwroteaboutboredomintwotextsavailablein
English,inthe1929/30semesterlecturecourseTheFundamental
ConceptsofMetaphysics,andagainintheessayWhatis
Metaphysics?publishedinthesameyear.Inthelecture,
Heideggerincludedabout100pagesonboredom,probablythe
mostextensivephilosophicaltreatmenteverofthesubject.He
focusedonwaitingatrailwaystationsinparticularasamajor
contextofboredom.[13]SrenKierkegaardremarksinEither/Or
that"patiencecannotbedepicted"visually,sincethereisasense
thatanyimmediatemomentoflifemaybefundamentallytedious.

1916ReaIrvinillustrationdepictinga
boreputtingheraudiencetosleep

BlaisePascalinthePensesdiscussesthehumanconditioninsaying"weseekrestinastruggleagainst
someobstacles.Andwhenwehaveovercomethese,restprovesunbearablebecauseoftheboredomit
produces",andlaterstatesthat"onlyaninfiniteandimmutableobjectthatis,Godhimselfcanfill
thisinfiniteabyss."[14]
Withoutstimulusorfocus,theindividualisconfrontedwithnothingness,themeaninglessnessof
existence,andexperiencesexistentialanxiety.Heideggerstatesthisideaasfollows:"Profoundboredom,
driftinghereandthereintheabyssesofourexistencelikeamufflingfog,removesallthingsandmen
andoneselfalongwithitintoaremarkableindifference.Thisboredomrevealsbeingasawhole."[15]
Schopenhauerusedtheexistenceofboredominanattempttoprovethevanityofhumanexistence,
stating,"...foriflife,inthedesireforwhichouressenceandexistenceconsists,possessedinitselfa
positivevalueandrealcontent,therewouldbenosuchthingasboredom:mereexistencewouldfulfil
andsatisfyus."[16]
ErichFrommandotherthinkersofcriticaltheoryspeakofboredomasacommonpsychological
responsetoindustrialsociety,wherepeoplearerequiredtoengageinalienatedlabor.Accordingto
Fromm,boredomis"perhapsthemostimportantsourceofaggressionanddestructivenesstoday."For
Fromm,thesearchforthrillsandnoveltythatcharacterizesconsumerculturearenotsolutionsto
boredom,butmeredistractionsfromboredomwhich,heargues,continuesunconsciously.[17]Aboveand
beyondtasteandcharacter,theuniversalcaseofboredomconsistsinanyinstanceofwaiting,as
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Heideggernoted,suchasinline,forsomeoneelsetoarriveorfinishatask,orwhileoneistravelling
somewhere.Theautomobilerequiresfastreflexes,makingitsoperatorbusyandhence,perhapsforother
reasonsaswell,makingtheridemoretediousdespitebeingoversooner.

Causesandeffects
Althoughithasnotbeenwidelystudied,researchonboredomsuggests
thatboredomisamajorfactorimpactingdiverseareasofaperson'slife.
Peoplerankedlowonaboredompronenessscalewerefoundtohave
betterperformanceinawidevarietyofaspectsoftheirlives,including
career,education,andautonomy.[18]Boredomcanbeasymptomof
clinicaldepression.Boredomcanbeaformoflearnedhelplessness,a
phenomenoncloselyrelatedtodepression.Somephilosophiesof
parentingproposethatifchildrenareraisedinanenvironmentdevoidof
stimuli,andarenotallowedorencouragedtointeractwiththeir
environment,theywillfailtodevelopthementalcapacitiestodoso.
Inalearningenvironment,acommoncauseofboredomislackof
understandingforinstance,ifoneisnotfollowingorconnectingtothe
materialinaclassorlecture,itwillusuallyseemboring.However,the
ThePrincessWhoNever
oppositecanalsobetruesomethingthatistooeasilyunderstood,simple
SmiledbyViktorVasnetsov
ortransparent,canalsobeboring.Boredomisofteninverselyrelatedto
learning,andinschoolitmaybeasignthatastudentisnotchallenged
enough,ortoochallenged.Anactivitythatispredictabletothestudentsislikelytoborethem.[19]
A1989studyindicatedthatanindividual'simpressionofboredommaybeinfluencedbytheindividual's
degreeofattention,asahigheracousticlevelofdistractionfromtheenvironmentcorrelatedwithhigher
reportingsofboredom.[20]
Boredomhasbeenstudiedasbeingrelatedtodrugabuseamongteens.[21]Boredomhasbeenproposed
asacauseofpathologicalgamblingbehavior.Astudyfoundresultsconsistentwiththehypothesisthat
pathologicalgamblersseekstimulationtoavoidstatesofboredomanddepression.[22]
Ithasbeensuggestedthatboredomhasanevolutionarybasisthatencourageshumanstoseekout
challenges.Itmayinfluencehumanlearningandingenuity.[23]

Inpopularculture
InChapter18ofthenovelThePictureofDorianGraybyOscarWilde(18541900),thecharacterLord
HenryWottonsaystoayoungDorianGray:"Theonlyhorriblethingintheworldisennui,Dorian.That
istheonesinforwhichthereisnoforgiveness."ProcolHarum,JohnSebastian,IggyPop,theDeftones,
Buzzcocks,andBlink182haveallwrittensongswithboredommentionedinthetitle.Othersongsabout
boredomandactivitiespeopleturntowhenboredincludeGreenDay'ssong"Longview",Systemofa
Down's"LonelyDay",andBloodhoundGang's"Mope".DouglasAdamsdepictedarobotnamed
MarvintheParanoidAndroidwhoseboredomappearedtobethedefiningtraitofhisexistenceinThe
Hitchhiker'sGuidetotheGalaxy.

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The1969VocationalGuidanceCounsellorsketchonMontyPython'sFlyingCircusestablishedalasting
stereotypeofaccountantsasboring.[24]TheYellowPagesusedtocarryanentryunderBoring,"Seecivil
engineers"(referringtothe"tunnelling"meaning),butthiswaschangedin1996to"Seesites
exploration."[25]

Seealso
Apathy
Boreout
Drab(color)
Dysthymia
Motivation

Wikiquotehasquotations
relatedto:Boredom
WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoBoredom.

References
1. OxfordOldEnglishDictionary
2. "OnlineEtymologyDictionary"(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=b&p=27).Etymonline.com.
Retrieved20131206.
3. Fisher1993,p.396
4. Leary,M.R.,Rogers,P.A.,Canfield,R.W.,Coe,C.(1986)."Boredomininterpersonalencounters:
Antecedentsandsocialimplications".JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology51(5):968975,p.968.
doi:10.1037/00223514.51.5.968(https://dx.doi.org/10.1037%2F00223514.51.5.968).
5. Csikszentmihalyi,M.,FindingFlow,1997
6. Cheyne,J.A.,Carriere,J.S.A.,Smilek,D.(2006)."Absentmindedness:Lapsesinconsciousawarenessand
everydaycognitivefailures"(http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~oops/article.php?src=yccog798).Consciousness
andCognition15(3):578592.doi:10.1016/j.concog.2005.11.009
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.concog.2005.11.009).PMID16427318
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16427318).
7. Farmer,R.,Sundberg,N.D.(1986)."Boredomproneness:Thedevelopmentandcorrelatesofanewscale".
JournalofPersonalityAssessment50(1):417.doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5001_2
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1207%2Fs15327752jpa5001_2).PMID3723312
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3723312).
8. Fisher,C.D.(1993)."Boredomatwork:Aneglectedconcept".HumanRelations46(3):395417.
doi:10.1177/001872679304600305(https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F001872679304600305).
9. Carriere,J.S.A.,Cheyne,J.A.,Smilek,D.(September2008)."EverydayAttentionLapsesandMemory
Failures:TheAffectiveConsequencesofMindlessness"(http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~oops/publish/yccog06
149.pdf)(PDF).ConsciousnessandCognition17(3):835847.doi:10.1016/j.concog.2007.04.008
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.concog.2007.04.008).PMID17574866
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17574866).
10. Sawin,D.A.,Scerbo,M.W.(1995)."Effectsofinstructiontypeandboredompronenessinvigilance:
Implicationsforboredomandworkload".HumanFactors37(4):752765.doi:10.1518/001872095778995616
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1518%2F001872095778995616).PMID8851777
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8851777).
11. Vodanovich,S.J.,Verner,K.M.,Gilbride,T.V.(1991)."Boredomproneness:Itsrelationshiptopositive
andnegativeaffect".PsychologicalReports69(3Pt2):113946.doi:10.2466/PR0.69.8.11391146
(https://dx.doi.org/10.2466%2FPR0.69.8.11391146).PMID1792282
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1792282).
12. "Boredom:TheForgottenFactorinFraudPrevention?"
(https://www.academia.edu/4877745/Boredom_The_Forgotten_Factor_in_Fraud_Prevention).Durham
University.RetrievedOctober1,2014.
13. MartinHeidegger.TheFundamentalConceptsofMetaphysics,pp.78164.
14. Pascal,BlaiseAriew,Roger(2005).Penses(http://books.google.com/?
id=DdlNuvGMPisC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Blaise+Pascal%22).Indianapolis,IN:Hackett
Pub.Co.ISBN9780872207172.Retrieved20090727.
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15. MartinHeidegger,WhatisMetaphysics?(1929)
16. ArthurSchopenhauer,EssaysandAphorisms,PenguinClassics,ISBN0140442278(2004),p53Fulltext
availableonline:GoogleBooksSearch(http://books.google.co.uk/books?
vid=ISBN0140442278&id=AZUe_0tOZIUC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=e
esU4GaO5&dq=arthur+schopenhauer+books&sig=Jze2WQysljLWFYQKTr_OhUHsE0)
17. ErichFromm,"TheoryofAggression"(http://www.erichfromm.de/data/pdf/1972ce.pdf)pg.7
18. Watt,J.D.,Vodanovich,S.J.(1999)."BoredomPronenessandPsychosocialDevelopment".Journalof
Psychology133(1):149155.doi:10.1002/(SICI)10974679(200001)56:1<149::AIDJCLP14>3.0.CO2Y
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F%28SICI%2910974679%28200001%2956%3A1%3C149%3A%3AAID
JCLP14%3E3.0.CO%3B2Y).
19. Ed.gov(http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED397840)
R.V.Smalletal.DimensionsofInterestandBoredominInstructionalSituations,ProceedingsofSelected
ResearchandDevelopmentPresentationsatthe1996NationalConventionoftheAssociationforEducational
CommunicationsandTechnology(18th,Indianapolis,IN),(1996)
20. DamradFrye,RLairdJD(1989)."Theexperienceofboredom:theroleoftheselfperceptionofattention".J
PersonalitySocialPsych57(2):31520.doi:10.1037/00223514.57.2.315
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1037%2F00223514.57.2.315).
21. IsoAhola,SeppoE.Crowley,EdwardD.(1991)."AdolescentSubstanceAbuseandLeisureBoredom"
(http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=EJ429375).JournalofLeisureResearch23(3):26071.
22. BlaszczynskiA,McConaghyN,FrankovaA(August1990)."Boredompronenessinpathologicalgambling".
PsycholRep67(1):3542.doi:10.2466/PR0.67.5.3542(https://dx.doi.org/10.2466%2FPR0.67.5.3542).
PMID2236416(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2236416).
23. [1](http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/17142/1/ThePsychologyofBoredomWhyYourBrainPunishes
YouforBeingComfortableandSafe.html)ThePsychologyofBoredomWhyYourBrainPunishesYou
forBeingComfortableandSafe
24. "Learntheelementarybitsaboutbusiness"
(https://web.archive.org/web/20130110101729/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/35419f24998911dd9d48
000077b07658.html).FinancialTimes.14October2008.Archivedfromtheoriginal
(http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/35419f24998911dd9d48000077b07658.html)on20130110.
25. ExcitingtimesforLondoncivilengineers(http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P24353305.html),ChicagoSun
Times,23August1996

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