Depression, Anxiety, and... Boredom?

It’s not unusual to hear about the dangers related to situations such as illegal drugs, alcohol abuse, addition to pornography, and teenage sex. All of these situations can lead to unhealthy lifestyles or consequences that take a toil on physical and mental health. Today, I want to point out something that doesn’t ever seem to be included in the “dangerous” category even though it can cause just as many problems as these other issues can. Surprisingly, what I’m talking about, is boredom.

Now I know that the title of this article is “An Unacknowledged Danger.” This is somewhat misleading although I stick by my decision to use these words. You see, there is quite a bit of research on boredom – what it actually is, what causes it, and how it affects our bodies. But even though this research is there, you don’t hear much about boredom, and certainly not in relation to how it can hurt us. So in many ways this “mood” and what it causes is unacknowledged.   Not anymore.

I’m sure you know people (or are one of those people) who learned, as a child, never to say, “I’m bored…there’s nothing to do.”  That’s because your mom or grandmother or aunt instantly placed a broom in your hand or gave you some other chore to keep you busy.

Although this usually stopped the complaints, it turns out that there is a better solution. I’ll get to that in a second.  But first, let’s discuss the bad effects of boredom. You see, people who are bored are at greater risk of developing anxiety, depression, and drug or alcohol addiction; displays of anger, aggressive behaviour and lack of interpersonal skills; and poor performance at work and school. (Stephen Vodanovich, University of West Florida) Simple boredom can cause all of this?! Shocking? Read on…

Many people, especially men, attribute boredom to a lack of excitement in their environment. But this is actually part of the problem, not the cause of boredom. Our brains are constantly searching for external stimuli that excites us, that is new to us. Yet when our brains get that, they just want more and more. It turns out they’re quite greedy in that respect. This need for more and more external stimuli causes a type of “chaos” in the brain, a longing for external excitement that drives people towards destructive behaviour. So this begs the question, if more novelty doesn’t quench boredom, what does? 

Oddly enough, it turns out that the solution to this uneasy state isn’t more activity; it’s less. A current study from Scientific American Mind found that low levels of distraction may cause people to label an activity as boring. On the other hand, participants who didn’t have any distractions found more enjoyment in the exact same activity.

This supports a few theories regarding attention and boredom. One theory says that boredom is essentially the struggle to maintain attention…in essence, “to go within.” Another theory touted by Waterloo Psychologist, Al Cheyne, says that, “Attention is the common link between lack of meaning, depression, and boredom.” So in other words, boredom may be caused in part by a lack of attention. Another way to say this is that distraction may cause boredom.

So here’s the way I look at it. If being in a state of boredom brings about negative consequences to our body, mind, and possibly our futures then we need to find ways to stay away from it. And if attention is the solution to boredom, we need to increase our capacity and ability to pay attention.  Although I know this sounds like an uncomplicated answer to a complicated issue, it really makes perfect sense. Attention is linked with the ancient practices of yoga and meditation which are considered by many to be as necessary as eating food or drinking water for vitality and health. And attention is linked with many spiritual practices such as prayer, fasting, and sacred ceremonies; things that cause peace and contentment for many.

Since this “skill” is so valuable, let’s try and nurture it so that we can grow in our ability to pay attention. Here are my suggestions to do just that:

1. Train yourself to see the world differently. Look at things through a new lens of appreciation and gratitude. Doing this tends to bring your attention to the present.

2. Become mindful. Do this by becoming aware of what is taking place inside and outside of you. Notice these things but don’t engage in making judgements or forming opinions. Just become aware of what is happening.

3. Learn from boredom. When you feel bored, stop and accept the experience. When you become aware that you are feeling that, it means that you are paying attention to the actual moment. The more you do this, the less boredom you should experience.

So, the next time you are bored,  it turns out that you don’t need to find something to do. Instead, just be. Just be aware of the moment and sit with it. As crazy as it sounds, doing nothing may stop complaints such as:

“There’s nothing to do; I’m bored!”