In an essay in the New York Times Book Review, Jennifer Schuessler argues that boredom is an “important source of creativity, well-being and our very sense of self.”
She points to research indicating that when we’re stuck in a boring situation, like lying in an M.R.I machine, certain areas of our brains register greater activity than when we’re engaged in basic tasks. Which areas? The ones responsible for “autobiographical memory, imagining the thoughts and feelings of others, and conjuring hypothetical events” – the same parts you’d use to read or write a story.
These days most of us seem to want to avoid boredom at all costs. We carry around an arsenal of hand-held gadgets to distract ourselves. Our cellular phones alone have cameras, music players, hundreds of “apps”, and constant Internet access. Our culture tends to celebrate busy-ness and minimize the importance of vacations. And many of us fill the leisure time we have with television. In 2008, the average American watched over five hours a day.
But in our quest to eradicate boredom from our lives, could we be throwing away other things too, like our ability to imagine and be creative?
What do you think? Is boredom good for us?
I’m sure that it is, but don’t you find that for certain people it is impossible for them to be bored?
I’m not sure if you mean that some people seem to find the idea of boredom so untenable, they distract themselves at all times. Or that some people spend lots of unoccupied time just daydreaming or thinking without getting bored. I agree with both. In her essay, Schuessler points out that boredom is something that few people wish to admit to. “As a general state of mind, boredom is morally suspect, threatening to shine its dull light back on the person who invokes it.”
This is so timely! On our 20 minute drive to school today I realized we were all quiet and lost in our own thoughts. I asked the kids if they were daydreaming and I got some really amazing answers….there was a wealth of stories happening right there in the backseat involving Incredible Hulk, Ramona the Pest, dragons and fairies. I asked them if they thought it was good or bad to daydream and they said, “yes!” I then asked them if they could daydream when they were playing their DS and the answer was, “no.” Then….”I’d rather daydream than play my DS on the way to school.” So great to hear!
That’s such a great story. Thanks for sharing it. It’s amazing how many different daydreams can go on at the same time in one car.
very interesting. I have done away with tv in our house, but it’s amazing how we find other distractions – sometimes i just play solitaire on my ipod! how silly! Amazing to think there are actually benefits of boredom!
I don’t have solitaire on my ipod, thank goodness, but I know what you mean. It does seem far too easy to find distractions, even without the television on.
It depends how you define boredom. I’m never actually bored, by which I mean that dreadful dragging feeling of ennui that saps energy. But I’m not rushing around all the time trying to fill up the emptiness. I’m not scared of my own company and I have plenty of downtime when I may be at a loose end and this can lead to great creativity.