Is Boredom That Bad?

It’s day 30 of quarantine and a thunderstorm is raging outside. The lights flicker.

Uh-oh, you think.

Then it happens: The power goes out. But wait—it gets worse. Your phone is about to die. You start to panic thinking about the long day ahead of you. No power and no phone mean no Animal Crossing or Fortnite. No Zooming, texting, or Snapchatting—no Netflix, Disney Plus, or Hulu.

It means you are going to be soooo bored.

To most of us, this sounds like a nightmare. But to many psychology experts, a day full of mind-numbing boredom doesn’t sound terrible at all. To them, it sounds like a gift.

Why?

Because believe it or not, humans need to experience boredom.

Google “beat boredom,” and you’ll get more than 20 million hits. Clearly, humans don’t enjoy boredom.

So why are experts saying we need more of it? The answer has to do with the brain.

The human brain has a variety of “networks” that perform different tasks. Most of the time, your brain is using the “executive attention network” to deal with what’s happening around you. This network helps you listen to your teacher, catch a ball, and cross the street. It’s what you use to text, watch TV, and play video games.

When you have nothing to do, your brain shifts into a different network, called the “default mode.” In the default mode, your mind wanders. You may daydream, imagine your future, or think about what you’ve learned and experienced. The default mode helps you sort out your feelings about that fight you had with your brother, recall the joy of baking cookies with your grandma, or reflect on the novel you’re reading.

In other words, this brain network is all about introspection. It’s how we reflect on our experiences, manage our strengths and weaknesses, move on from mistakes, and make decisions about our futures.

Here’s the thing: Both networks are important—but they can’t be active at the same time. Your brain can’t be in default mode if your brain is constantly doing something—responding to that last text, beating that high score, watching that next episode. And if we don’t pause to use the introspective part of our brain, it can get out of shape.

“The problem is that we’re trying to un-bore ourselves with technology,” says Dr. Sandi Mann, author of the book The Science of Boredom.

That said, the ability to do nothing is a skill—and without that skill, boredom can be total agony.

It can also be destructive. For example, it can lead to anxiety (Shouldn’t I be doing something?) and bad decisions (Maybe I’ll ride my bike down the stairs— what could go wrong?). Some studies show that people who cannot cope with boredom are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

The good news is that as with any skill, we can practice being bored—and get good at it. Instead of trying to “swipe and scroll” our boredom away, says Mann, we should embrace the moments when we have nothing to do and see where our minds take us. Mann suggests leaving your phone at home and taking a walk, lying in the grass and staring at the clouds, or looking out the window and watching the cars pass by. Eventually your mind will start to wander, and you won’t feel bored at all. Maybe you’ll daydream about flying or becoming a chef. Maybe an idea for a short story or a cool invention will pop into your mind. Or maybe you’ll simply breathe and enjoy the quiet moment.

Just be patient. At first, you might feel anxious and uncomfortable, experts warn. But the more you try, the easier it will get.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll start making time for boredom every day.

No power outage necessary.

This article was originally published in the October 2020 issue.