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In fact, 77% of smartphone users turn to their phones to avoid being bored, according to Pew Research Center.<\/p>\n
But it hasn\u2019t always been this way. For the majority of human existence, the average person had large bouts of solitude and boredom every day. Now that we don\u2019t, are we missing out on an activity (or lack thereof) that\u2019s good for us?<\/p>\n
Science says yes: Occasional boredom is good for you.<\/p>\n
The scientific benefits of being bored<\/h3>\n
Let’s take a step back: What’s boredom, exactly? It’s the process of trying, but failing to find stimulation. It’s not the same thing as relaxation, which is designed to get rid<\/span>\u00a0of stimulation altogether.<\/p>\n\t <\/i>Boredom forces your brain to search for its own stimulation and let your mind wander. It gives you a chance to imagine, reflect on the past, and think about the future.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t Why is that good?<\/p>\n First off, it isn\u2019t sustainable to actively think all the time, and switch off between working, socializing, and consuming content. After a certain point, more input will mean less value.<\/p>\n That’s why boredom can help you be more productive.<\/a>\u00a0If you give your mind time to wander, it\u2019ll help you stay focused when you really need to. It\u00a0also gives you the time and space to process the information thrown at you all day, says Cal Newport, professor at Georgetown University:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re exposing yourself to interesting information, but don’t process it and be alone with your thoughts, you\u2019re probably extracting just a small fraction of the potential value.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Aside from that, boredom also gives you space to think about the future. That’s because when our minds wander, we often think about the future in a self-related, goal-directed way, according to a study out of the York Neuroimaging Center. In the researchers\u2019 words:<\/p>\n \u201cThe tendency to consider the future during mind-wandering is associated with the development of personal goals, making them more concrete\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Having the mental space to plan for future goals<\/a> plays an important role in things like budgeting<\/a>, planning, and long-term decision making. And when our heads are buried in our phones, we don’t allow ourselves that space.<\/p>\n But the thing is, mind wandering doesn\u2019t just happen<\/span>. As silly as it sounds, you need to be purposeful about setting aside time to let your mind wander, especially in our hyper-connected world.<\/p>\n Boredom and mind wandering is like a muscle – as Manoush Zomorodi, author of Bored and Brilliant<\/span>, says:<\/p>\n \u201cBeing bored feels super uncomfortable if you\u2019re not used to it, like going to the gym. It really hurts at first. But then you start going a few times a week, and it gets easier. Maybe you get the little high, and it just suddenly becomes part of your life.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n But if you barely have time to run errands, how can you possible carve out time to do nothing?<\/p>\n It\u2019s easier than it sounds. There are a few simple, specific things you can do in your daily hustle to boost boredom. Here are 5 hacks:<\/p>\n 1. Put your phone down when you\u2019re on the move<\/span><\/p>\n What to do:<\/span><\/p>\n Put your phone away when commuting to work. Instead of scrolling on Instagram<\/a> or checking email, look out the window and let your mind wander.<\/p>\n Why it works:<\/span><\/p>\n Our constant connectivity is one of our biggest obstacles to boredom. Since many of us have substituted mindless breaks with mindless scrolls, we have less opportunity to be still and think. As Olga Mecking recently wrote in The New York Times<\/span>:<\/p>\n \u201cThe smartphone you carry with you at all hours makes it almost impossible to truly unplug and embrace idleness. And by keeping ourselves busy at all times, we may be losing our ability to sit still because our brains are actually being rewired.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In fact, when Manoush Zomorodi ran a boredom experiment with 20,000 of her podcast listeners, <\/span>88% of them said putting their phone down while in transit helped them clear their minds. So much so, they all planned to continue this habit<\/a><\/span>\u00a0after the experiment was over.<\/p>\n 2. Listen to music on your couch (phone-free)<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What to do:<\/span><\/p>\n The next time you have a few spare minutes at home, lie on your couch and listen to some music (we recommend this album<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re too antsy to sit still, play with kinetic sand, Baoding balls, marble runs, or any other oddly satisfying<\/a><\/span>\u00a0toy to help keep your body busy as you let your mind wander.<\/p>\nBeing bored\u00a0in the \u2018always on\u2019 age<\/h3>\n
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