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what is boredom?
It is extremely unpleasant and something to be avoided, that much is clear.
It would seem that boredom has something to do with lack of stimulation, but that isn't the whole story. A friend and I can be in the same room, experiencing the same events, and she will be bored while I'll be perfectly happy. When I appear to be sitting still in a chair my mind is generally racing, thinking of all kinds of things. I normally carry books and my handheld computer with me everywhere I go, so that I can read or write stuff down when put in a situation where there isn't anything to do. I remember one occasion where I had to drive my girlfriend to the doctor one night and we left so quickly I forgot to bring anything with me. I had to mind the car so I was left sitting in the dark in a quiet street. Was I bored? No. I used the opportunity to mentally solve a paper folding puzzle that had been challenging me. It was extremely difficult, but I managed it. When my girlfriend returned after an hour or so I was elated. I had solved many increasingly complex instances of the puzzle in my head and felt I had a general solution.
Many people seem to become bored even in fairly active and interesting settings. So the question perhaps becomes "Why do people become bored?" If boredom is unpleasant and we have the means at our mental fingertips to turn the most grey and unchanging experience into an interesting one, then why do people still become bored? I'm not being judgmental here. I'm not saying that they "shouldn't" be bored. I'm honestly puzzled as to why they are bored when a simple, delightful alternative seems to always be available.
Have I ever been bored? Yes. One particular occasion stands out in my mind. I once had a job where we had to pretend to be active when there was nothing to do. This meant doing things that took up sufficient mental space that I was prevented from thinking about other things, but it was empty and useless. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience that bored me witless. So here was a time where my mind was occupied (to some extent) but I was bored. How does that work?
It would seem that boredom has something to do with lack of stimulation, but that isn't the whole story. A friend and I can be in the same room, experiencing the same events, and she will be bored while I'll be perfectly happy. When I appear to be sitting still in a chair my mind is generally racing, thinking of all kinds of things. I normally carry books and my handheld computer with me everywhere I go, so that I can read or write stuff down when put in a situation where there isn't anything to do. I remember one occasion where I had to drive my girlfriend to the doctor one night and we left so quickly I forgot to bring anything with me. I had to mind the car so I was left sitting in the dark in a quiet street. Was I bored? No. I used the opportunity to mentally solve a paper folding puzzle that had been challenging me. It was extremely difficult, but I managed it. When my girlfriend returned after an hour or so I was elated. I had solved many increasingly complex instances of the puzzle in my head and felt I had a general solution.
Many people seem to become bored even in fairly active and interesting settings. So the question perhaps becomes "Why do people become bored?" If boredom is unpleasant and we have the means at our mental fingertips to turn the most grey and unchanging experience into an interesting one, then why do people still become bored? I'm not being judgmental here. I'm not saying that they "shouldn't" be bored. I'm honestly puzzled as to why they are bored when a simple, delightful alternative seems to always be available.
Have I ever been bored? Yes. One particular occasion stands out in my mind. I once had a job where we had to pretend to be active when there was nothing to do. This meant doing things that took up sufficient mental space that I was prevented from thinking about other things, but it was empty and useless. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience that bored me witless. So here was a time where my mind was occupied (to some extent) but I was bored. How does that work?
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During those times I can relax and think about all sorts of nice things from new dress designs to stories to anything at all.
I often wonder how people can be bored! I know on LJ I've seen so many entries by "bored" people.
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One of my old girlfriends is often bored. I find it very hard to understand. She is not stupid. How can she, or anyone, be bored... especially in today's world, where there is more entertainment, information, places to go, people to meet, than ever before in history?
I'm not saying there are not genuine reasons why they are bored. I just would like to understand what they are.
I have been thinking more on it and I wonder if it has something to do with thresholds for attention. Perhaps people who are easily bored can deal more easily with floods of chaotic stimuli. Maybe people who are never bored (like me) are overwhelmed with too much information. I'm still thinking this through. There are a couple of things about this possible explanation that don't quite ring true, but I need to ponder it more.
One thing I've noticed is that many of the people I know who are often bored tend to over-use alcohol. I wonder if that could be connected or just a coincidence, and if it is related is it causal or a result?
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