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When was the last time you were bored? I hear you saying, "Right now, watching this video!" Alright, I'll spice things up for you, or at least make you feel less bad about being bored. In fact, I’ll make you wanna get bored all the time.
When you hear the word "boredom," maybe you're instantly transported back to all those endless lectures in school where your buddy leaned over and whispered, "If I stare at these equations any longer, I'm gonna start seeing them in my dreams." And if you can't relate to this, well, homie, you might just be the boredom itself!
Boredom isn't just sitting in a dusty old room with nothing to do. It's that feeling when you're looking at your to-do list, and nothing feels worth doing. Sure, you could be reading the back of a cereal box, figuring out how you're going to change your life, or planning how many books you're going to read every week. But let's be honest, these are just ways to escape the boredom-you're not really that into food labels or suddenly becoming super disciplined. It's all about finding something-anything-to keep the boredom away. Seriously, if I followed every 'life-changing' plan I made while bored, I’d probably be an astronaut-florist-novelist by now.
These days, with our smartphones glued to our hands, evading boredom seems like a piece of cake. You could be waiting in a ridiculously long line for coffee, stuck at a very slow traffic light, or sitting on a park bench, and the escape is right there in your pocket. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, KZbin-you name it, these platforms are the modern-day boredom busters. Before you know it, you're deep in the rabbit hole of someone's vacation photos or a thread about which superhero would make the best roommate.
Who knows, maybe you're even watching this video because you're bored. Or, let's be real, you might just be taking a dump and scrolling for some quality bathroom entertainment!
Researchers at the University of Virginia conducted funny experiment where they asked participants to sit alone in a bare room for a duration of 6 to 15 minutes. The participants had no access to any distractions such as phones, books, or even pens. The only object in the room was a button that, when pressed, delivered a mild electric shock.
Before the experiment, participants were given a sample shock so they would know what to expect. They were then instructed to try and entertain themselves with their thoughts during the quiet time. However, they were also informed that they could press the button to receive a shock if they chose to.
Despite knowing that the shock would be unpleasant, a significant number of participants opted to press the button rather than sit quietly.
67% of men chose to press the button at least once during the quiet period, while only 25% of women pressed the button. And there we have it-yet another reason why women live longer than men!
It's almost as if men thought, "Hmm, a few minutes of quiet reflection? Nah, let's spice things up with a jolt of electricity!" Meanwhile, women seemed to think, "I've had worse. I'll just sit here and think about dinner."
But here's the twist: although boredom is one of the most hated feelings out there, it turns out to be very helpful and even necessary for success in many cases. I know this sounds like one of those studies that says eating pizza every day will help you live longer, but bear with me.
Research suggests we're missing out on many benefits by trying to get ourselves out of boredom. When we're bored, our minds wander, which is a natural state where attention isn't focused on anything specific. This mind wandering has been shown to be beneficial for creativity.