Most days there are not enough hours in the day for me to pursue everything I would like to, so I seldom suffer from boredom. I can remember as a young child, though, staring out the window come mid-August, wondering what to do with myself, wishing that school was back in session already because I was feeling bored. I was back home from vacationing with my family and had run out of ideas as to how to keep myself busy and entertained after six weeks off of school!
You may find yourself suffering from boredom when you face any one of the following situations:
- when you are prevented from engaging in a wanted activity;
- when you are forced to engage in an unwanted activity; or
- when you are unable - for no apparent reason - to maintain interest in any activity or spectacle (or, I might add, when you can't think of anything interesting or engaging to do.)
Experts can't seem to agree as to whether boredom - a feeling - is a symptom of depression, or whether boredom can lead to depression. So, I won't try to solve that question here.
It is often the case that boredom is trivialized and people suffering from it are often told to "snap out of it" or to "find something to do" (the latter being a common refrain by parents everywhere to a bored child) or "you're bored, I'll give you something to do!" (another common refrain by a parent to a child which was quickly followed by the assigning of one 'boring' chore or another).
"The first laboratory testing of boredom occurred in the late 1930’s and was then deduced to be a form of fatigue which was dissipated through the use of stimulants. In 1951 a book was published claiming that boredom was actually due to the repression of an individual’s natural drives and desires. After this date the research into boredom fell from grace and it wasn’t until 1986 that a psychologist developed the first full psychometric scale called, the "Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS)", as a method to measure boredom as an individual trait." (1)
An ongoing feeling of boredom, however, can fuel a longing for thrills to drive away boredom and may lead people to indulge in destructive, sensation-seeking activities, which include some form of risky behaviour. "A 2005 study of 92 Scottish teenagers, for example, found that boredom was among the top reasons stated for taking drugs." (2) Suffering from any degree of Attention Deficit Disorder (a disorder in which a person has trouble focusing or concentrating on a task or subject) can make an individual feel bored due to the simple fact that it is hard to maintain interest in something that he or she cannot concentrate on.
The BPS tests people to see how likely their nature is to become bored across a range of different situations. Results have indicated - to no great surprise - that some people are more prone to boredom than others. People who find themselves feeling bored, may simply need more 'healthy' excitement in their lives, whether this is a set of new friends, some new activities or interests, or just a variation of normal routine. Others may need to dig a little deeper psychologically because they suffer from an existential 'ennui' due to a feeling of lack of purpose in life. Boredom that cannot be eradicated in a healthy manner can lead to destructive behaviours like gambling, recreational drug use, smoking, partying/drinking alcohol to excess, over-eating, and risky sexual and other behaviours - especially in teenagers whose brains haven't matured to full reasoning/decision-making/judgment capacity.
(And, here's to hoping that reading "Psyche and Mind" is NOT a contributing factor to any feelings of boredom you may currently be experiencing!)
D.
(1) and (2), "Overcoming Boredom", www.totallybored.co.uk
About Me
- Deborah K. Hanula
- Deborah K. Hanula has a year of Journalism training from Humber College, a Political Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and a Law degree from the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Child Psychology, and Psychotherapy and Counselling as well as a Family Life Educator and Coach Certificate and Certificates in Reflexology, Assertiveness Training, and Mindfulness Meditation. She is the author of five cookbooks, primarily concerned with gluten-free and dairy-free diets, although one pertains to chocolate. As an adult, in the past she worked primarily as a lawyer, but also as a university and college lecturer, a tutor, editor, writer, counsellor, researcher and piano teacher. She enjoys a multi-faceted approach when it comes to life, work and study, in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Check out her new book: A Murder of Crows & Other Poems (2023).
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Eye Strain
If you spend long periods of time looking at a computer screen, you may find that you suffer the following effects: headaches during or after; irritated or dry eyes; blurred vision; slow refocusing when looking from screen to distant objects; difficulty seeing clearly at a distance; double vision; changes in how colours look; and/or frequent changes in eyeglasses prescription.
D.
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