Such a familiar complaint “I'm bored” was filled with new meaning. Canadian researchers have given a new, accurate definition of boredom, based on the mental processes underlying this condition.
Although many people look at boredom as something ordinary and temporary, this condition is actually associated with a number of psychological, social, and medical problems, says psychology professor Mark Fenske, one of the authors of a new study published by the Psychologists Association.
Researchers led by York University professor John Eastwood began by trying to better understand the mental processes that fuel a sense of boredom.
They found that the key to the aimless state is attention and consciousness. After analyzing existing research in the field of psychology and neurology, they defined boredom as a “state of disgust for the desire to engage in productive activities," which occurs as a result of failures in one of the centers of attention in the brain.
In other words, you will get bored when:
• you will have difficulty concentrating on internal information, such as thoughts or feelings, or external stimuli that are necessary to participate in productive activities;
• you will have problems with attention;
• you blame everyone around for your deplorable state.
Researchers hope that their new definition and theoretical foundations will give impetus to new research that will help us better understand boredom, suggest ways to facilitate it and respond to possible consequences.
