Boredom: The Superpower You’re Still Afraid to Use
You’re standing in line at the grocery store.
The person ahead of you is fumbling with coupons. Your phone battery just died. For a moment, panic sets in. What the fuck are you supposed to do now? Actually wait? Like some kind of savage?
In a study that perfectly encapsulates our dysfunctional relationship with boredom, researchers found that nearly half of participants chose to administer electric shocks to themselves rather than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. People would rather experience physical pain than be alone with the contents of their own minds. If that doesn’t scream “we have a problem,” I don’t know what does.
In the modern human condition, boredom has become our mortal enemy, and constant stimulation our drug of choice. We’ve waged an all-out war on empty moments, arming ourselves with smartphones, social media, and an endless buffet of digital distractions. But in our quest to banish boredom, we’ve actually fucked ourselves over in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
The Hidden Value of Boredom
This aversion to boredom might be robbing us of something vital. We live in a world engineered to keep us constantly stimulated. Our phones ping with notifications, streaming services auto-play the next episode, and ads assault our eyeballs from every possible angle. We’ve developed a Pavlovian response to even the slightest lull in stimulation — the moment we feel that itch of boredom creeping in, we reach for the nearest distraction like it’s a life preserver in a sea of tedium.
Boredom serves an important function in our brains and lives. It’s not just the absence of stimulation, it’s a signal that we’re not meaningfully engaged with our current situation. It’s our mind’s way of saying “hey dummy, you could be doing something more worthwhile with your limited time on this planet.” Boredom is the spark that ignites creativity, self-reflection, and personal growth.
Studies have shown that people who experience boredom are more likely to engage in creative thinking and problem-solving afterward. It’s like boredom primes the pump of innovation. Some of history’s greatest artists and thinkers have recognized this connection. The famous choreographer George Balanchine for example claimed he did his best work while ironing shirts.
The Science of Mind-Wandering
When we’re bored, our brains enter a state of “mind-wandering” that allows for unexpected connections and novel ideas to emerge. It’s like our subconscious mind finally gets a chance to speak up when we shut off the endless noise of distraction. Have you ever noticed how your best ideas often come when you’re doing something mundane like showering or going for a walk? That’s the power of boredom at work.
Neuroscientists have identified a network of brain regions that become active when we’re not focused on the outside world. This “default mode network” (DMN) lights up like a Christmas tree when we’re daydreaming, reminiscing, or just letting our thoughts drift. It’s essentially our brain’s screensaver mode, but instead of floating geometric shapes, we get a rich tapestry of memories, ideas, and potential futures.
During these periods of mind-wandering, our brains are far from idle. They’re busy making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts and experiences. It’s like your mind is playing a giant game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but instead of movie stars, it’s linking that random factoid you read last week with a problem you’ve been trying to solve at work.
This process of free association can lead to those “Eureka!” moments where a solution seems to come out of nowhere. In reality, your brain has been quietly working on the problem in the background, like a mental slow cooker stewing ideas until they’re just right.
Psychologists call this phenomenon the “incubation effect.” When you step away from a problem and let your mind wander, you’re giving your brain a chance to approach the issue from new angles. It’s like taking a step back from a jigsaw puzzle — suddenly, you can see the bigger picture. You can spot connections you missed before.
Beyond Creativity: The Social and Emotional Benefits
And there’s more, too.
Neuroscientists have found that allowing yourself to experience boredom can actually improve social connections and increase empathy. It turns out that when we’re not constantly bombarded with stimuli, we’re more likely to reach out and connect with the people around us in meaningful ways.
Who knew that being bored as fuck could make you a better friend and partner?
Learning to cope with boredom can also build resilience and adaptability — crucial skills for navigating our chaotic world. It’s like emotional weightlifting — the more you practice sitting with uncomfortable feelings of boredom, the stronger your mental muscles become. This doesn’t mean you need to subject yourself to mind-numbing tedium 24/7. But you also shouldn’t immediately reach for a distraction (or an electric shock) every time you feel a hint of boredom creeping in.
Embracing the Discomfort
Boredom can be deeply fucking uncomfortable.
But that discomfort is precisely why boredom is so valuable. It’s a form of mental friction that forces us to confront ourselves and our lives. In a world of frictionless convenience and instant gratification, a little discomfort might be exactly what we need to grow and evolve as human beings.
When was the last time you had a profound realization or made a major life decision while scrolling through Instagram? Fucking never. Those moments of insight and clarity tend to come during periods of reflection and introspection — the very states that boredom can induce if we let it.
Chronic boredom has been linked to negative outcomes like depression and increased risk-taking behavior. As with most things in life, it’s going to come down to balance. The goal isn’t to be bored constantly, it’s just to stop reflexively avoiding boredom at all costs.
Practical Steps to Embrace Boredom
Start small — try leaving your phone in another room for an hour. Take a walk without headphones. Sit on a park bench and just observe your surroundings without trying to fill every fucking moment. Let your mind wander and see where it takes you.
At first, it will probably feel excruciating. Your brain, accustomed to constant stimulation, will rebel against the perceived deprivation. You might even find yourself wishing for those electric shocks.
But stick with it. Over time, you might find that those quiet moments become treasured opportunities for reflection and rejuvenation rather than unbearable voids to be filled.
The Persistence of Boredom
The reality is, boredom isn’t going anywhere. Despite our best efforts to eradicate it with technology and endless entertainment, that nagging feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction will always be part of the human experience. So instead of fighting it, why not lean into it? Embrace the yawns, welcome the sighs, and see what insights emerge when you allow your mind to roam free.
Your next great idea, your most profound realization, or the solution to that problem you’ve been wrestling with might be waiting for you on the other side of boredom. But you’ll never know if you don’t give yourself the chance to find out.
A Radical Act in a Distracted World
Choosing to be bored is abnormal. But that doesn’t make it a bad thing. It’s a declaration that your inner world is worth exploring, that your thoughts and ideas have value beyond their ability to entertain or distract you. It’s an investment in your own growth and development as a human being.
Go forth and be fucking bored. Stare at walls, watch paint dry, count ceiling tiles — do whatever it takes to give your overstimulated brain a chance to rest and reset. It might not be easy, but it just might be one of the most important things you do for yourself.
In the words of the writer Anne Enright, “Boredom is a productive state, so long as you don’t let it go sour on you.” So don’t let it go sour. Embrace it, explore it, and see what wonders emerge from the fertile soil of an unoccupied mind. Your future self — more creative, more resilient, more connected to the world around you — will thank you for it.
I mean, who knows? You might just find that being bored is a hell of a lot more interesting than you ever imagined.
And it’s definitely less painful than those electric shocks.
