Why it gets boring and why it's important.
Boredom is evidence of a temporary state of disinterest in anything happening.
We don't like boredom. She's not comfortable, but she's ordinary. Each of us has experienced boredom, but now that there is facebook, twitter, youtube we always know how to dispel it.
Physical pain and nausea are also uncomfortable sensations, but they are caused by things that are dangerous for us. While boredom occurs when you are simply not interested in the outer world and the inner world of your thoughts. You are simply alone with yourself.
If life itself had meaning, there would be no such thing as boredom, and then existence alone would fill and satisfy us. — Arthur Schopenhauer
Boredom is the greatest of human emotions. It expresses the fact that the human spirit is in a certain sense greater than the universe itself. Boredom is an expression of deep despair and the inability to find anything that could satisfy the boundless needs of the soul. — Giacomo Leopardi
At first glance, boredom seems commonplace and frivolous, and admitting that you experience it is insulting. One thing is clear: boredom is not boring.
When we are bored, brain activity decreases by only 5%! MRI studies of the brain during boredom show increased activity in areas responsible for accessing autobiographical memory, comprehending the thoughts and feelings of others, and thinking about hypothetical events, i.e. for imagination.
This compulsion helps us think about ourselves, notice what we've been missing, and get energized enough to engage in productive activities that we might otherwise put off (such as writing, solving puzzles, or playing games).
When boredom begins to be felt frequently, it may be due to our own physiology. People with few dopamine receptors in the brain require more stimulation to stay active. By the way, this is one of the possible reasons for people’s addiction to coffee. You can see our article about coffee here: The whole truth about coffee.
This means that chronic boredom can be a manifestation of the functioning of the body as a whole.
Consequences of chronic boredom
- Frequent nervous tension.
- Alcohol/drug addiction (it is because of boredom that many people cannot quit drinking/smoking. If they succeed, it is only for a while, then they return to bad habits again).
- Inability to endure long trips, meetings, even vacations (desire to return to work as soon as possible).
- Inability to concentrate.
- Inability to relax, chronic fatigue.
- Painful craving for purchases, shopping.
- Overload of the brain with many tasks, “information garbage”.
- Feeling restless.
- Apathy and melancholy in the absence of activity.
- Saturation with life.
As a result, wrong life choices, loss of opportunities, false goals and aspirations, unhappiness and inability to enjoy life.
The brain requires exposure to be healthy, and the load must be adequate. Stimulation by which a person can perform optimally while focusing is what psychologists call flow .
Flow, flow state is a mental state in which a person is completely involved in what he is doing, and is characterized by active concentration, full involvement and a focus on success in the process of activity. The concept of flow was proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It also includes practical recommendations for entering a flow state.
If you are interested in the topic of flow, there is no better book than this! You can watch it on OZONE.
If the level of stimulation is insufficient, the brain will begin to act in the hope of finding something, somewhere.
Nothing accelerates brain atrophy more than staying still in the same environment. Monotony weakens our dopamine and attention systems, which are important for maintaining brain plasticity. Diversity and stimulation support neurogenesis (the formation of new brain cells) and can also extend the life of existing cells in certain areas of the brain. — Norman Doidge, author of Brain Plasticity
Monotony (from the Greek monos - one, single and tonos - tension, stress) is a functional state of reduced performance that occurs in situations of monotonous work with frequent repetition of stereotypical actions in the everyday external environment.
To avoid lack of exposure, the brain can create its own stimulations - hallucinations. They can be caused in any person if the brain does not have enough of this around.
Take, for example, the effect of “infinite field of view” or “ganzfeld effect” - this is when people exposed to white noise and constant monochromatic light begin to go crazy and hallucinate. The effect can be caused by ping pong ball halves held in front of the eyes and a radio tuned to "white noise".
Ganzfeld Phenomena is a means of reliably and quickly achieving deep relaxation. Its mechanism is not fully understood. There is an assumption that when the brain is faced with an endless field of vision, devoid of any contrasting details, the visual analyzer turns off, and the brain switches to “admiring” itself. As a result, the logical hemisphere of the brain (usually the left) is significantly “inhibited,” which is not able to interact with infinity—this is the prerogative of the gestalt hemisphere (usually the right).
It is not worth repeating at home - only under the supervision of specialists!
Long-term inactivity is also a punishment used for criminals (particularly solitary confinement). According to the recorded case, the record for the longest absence of social contact is held by Thomas Silversteel. He has been in solitary confinement since 1983.
Simple boredom is the kind you feel when waiting for a plane at the airport or listening to an uninteresting lecture. This is not a disease or a mood - it is an emotion.
Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions is a great way to demonstrate this.
The wheel consists of eight basic emotions, expanded in order of intensity. Boredom is positioned as a milder version of disgust.
Creatures that experience emotions are often forced to do or not do more complex things than simply eat, drink, sleep and reproduce. For example, building friendships, apologizing, loving unconditionally, and planning for the future.
Boredom is an emotion that protects us. A monotonous lecturer, a mentally exhausting task and an overload of monotony are not dirty or toxic. It just doesn't stimulate us enough. Boredom forces us to do something new, to receive fresh feedback.
Creatures who experience it end up thriving, doing more, which leads to more of their own kind.
Next time you get a little bored, be proud! Thank your ancestors for being part of the race for a better life. As is the case with hunger or thirst, which move us forward to something new and better.
You abstract yourself from normal stimuli in order to experience boredom. Yes, it will be boring, but this is how they bring their thoughts to perfection.
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