Everyone knows the feeling: time drags, nothing appeals, and your attention slides off whatever is in front of you. For a long time boredom was treated as trivial. Over the past two decades, psychologists have taken it seriously, and what they've found is more useful than you might expect.

What boredom actually is

A widely cited definition comes from psychologists John Eastwood and colleagues, who in 2012 described boredom as the uncomfortable experience of wanting to engage in satisfying activity but being unable to. That second part matters. Boredom isn't simply having nothing to do. You can be bored in a packed meeting, scrolling a feed of endless content, or halfway through a task you chose.

Their work tied boredom closely to attention: when we struggle to focus on something, we tend to blame the activity ("this is boring") and feel restless, sluggish or irritated as a result.

What causes it

In 2018, researchers Erin Westgate and Timothy Wilson proposed a model built on two ingredients, meaning and attention. You are likely to get bored when:

This explains a lot of everyday boredom. Repetitive chores lack challenge. A dense lecture without context lacks both challenge-fit and meaning. Even a hobby you love can become boring if you plateau and stop being stretched.

We don't enjoy being left with our thoughts

A 2014 study in Science by Wilson and colleagues asked people to sit alone with their thoughts for a short period, typically 6 to 15 minutes. Many found it unpleasant. In one version, participants could press a button to give themselves a mild electric shock. Twelve of 18 men and 6 of 24 women chose to shock themselves at least once rather than simply sit and think. The point isn't that people are strange; it's that doing nothing, with no plan for your mind, is harder than it sounds.

Boredom as a signal, not a flaw

Many researchers now describe boredom as functional. Like hunger, it's unpleasant on purpose: it pushes you to change something. Psychologists Shane Bench and Heather Lench argued in 2013 that boredom motivates people to seek out new goals and experiences when the current situation stops being rewarding.

Seen this way, the useful question isn't "how do I make this feeling stop right now?" It's "what is this feeling telling me is missing: challenge, meaning, novelty, or connection?"

The link with creativity

In a 2014 study published in the Creativity Research Journal, psychologists Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman had some participants spend time copying numbers out of a phone book before a creativity test: thinking up as many uses as possible for a pair of plastic cups. The people who had done the dull task produced more ideas than a control group, and a group that merely read the phone book did better still. The researchers suggested that boredom may encourage daydreaming, which can help ideas surface.

One study doesn't make a law of nature, and the effect depends on context. But it fits a common experience: some of your best ideas turn up in the shower, on a walk, or while waiting, precisely when you aren't feeding your attention something new.

How to use boredom well

  1. Pause before reaching for your phone. Give the feeling a minute. Notice whether you crave challenge, rest, company or something new.
  2. Match the fix to the cause. Under-challenged? Add a constraint or a goal. Overwhelmed? Break the task down or take a real break. Lacking meaning? Connect the task to something you care about, or swap it.
  3. Make something small. A sketch, a list of ideas, a mended sock. Making gives attention a target and produces something at the end. Our list of creative things to do when bored has dozens of starting points.
  4. Let your mind wander on purpose. Walk without headphones, or do a simple repetitive task, and carry a notebook for what comes up.
  5. Build a habit, not a rescue. A short, regular creative practice gives boredom somewhere to go before it builds up.

When it's more than boredom

Boredom is normal. But if you've lost interest in things you used to enjoy, feel low or hopeless most days, or the feeling has lasted weeks, that can be a sign of depression or another health condition rather than simple boredom. Please talk to a doctor or someone you trust. In the US you can call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) any time, and elsewhere your local emergency number or health service can help.

Quick answers

Is boredom bad for you?

Occasional boredom is normal and can be useful: it signals that what you are doing isn't meeting your need for engagement or meaning. Frequent, heavy boredom that comes with low mood or loss of interest is worth discussing with a doctor.

Can boredom make you more creative?

Some studies suggest it can. In one well-known experiment, people who first did a dull copying task came up with more ideas in a creativity test afterward. The effect depends on what you do with the restlessness.

Why do I get bored even when I'm busy?

Busy isn't the same as engaged. Researchers link boredom to tasks that feel meaningless, or that are poorly matched to your attention: too easy, too hard, or too repetitive.

Sources

Adapted from the earlier edition of The Bored Brand. Layout and publishing information have been updated; no independent expert review is claimed. Editorial policy · Corrections