Pretty soon, they’re staring out the window, presumably daydreaming, and watching the changing landscape whiz by. Rather than reach for the iPad, I try to let my children sit with their boredom. That perceived lack of stimulation increases neural arousal in search of variety, and if our brains can’t find that variety, the result is boredom. Sandi Mann, a psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, describes boredom as “a search for neural stimulation that isn’t satisfied.” But boredom, it turns out, comes from a shortage of mental stimulation. True enough, there are no physical activities. “I’m bored!” my eldest will yell from the backseat as we drive through small towns en route to my family’s farm. So, it’s worth exploring how we can leverage boredom in the workplace - and even become more innovative in the process.īefore we dig in: what do we mean when we talk about boredom? It’s a state of mindĪs any parent will tell you, taking your kids on a road trip will inevitably produce some complaints. Recent studies have shown that boredom has a surprising effect on our creativity and productivity. That’s because most people see boredom as an unpleasant experience.īut a reasonable dose of boredom can actually be a good thing. “We are less bored than our ancestors were, but we are more afraid of boredom.” Back in the 19th century, British philosopher Bertrand Russell had already diagnosed it: Devices make it easy to avoid boredom at all costs. Lately, it feels like we hardly ever sit idle with our thoughts. In the end, it was a productive flight, because I decided to embrace a little boredom. I mulled over my family’s summer vacation plans, and I considered some points to make at an upcoming panel discussion. I thought about an issue with a new Jotform feature and developed a few solutions to share with my team. Staring out at the clouds, I let my mind wander. As much as I appreciate an old rom-com, I chose the former. It was either the window or the tiny overhead screen. On a recent flight, just after boarding, I realized that I had left my laptop at home. I travel pretty frequently between Jotform’s headquarters in Turkey and San Francisco.
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