A Closer Look at Boredom

Like an undesirable stench mingling with the atmosphere on its own accord, boredom can stealthily slip into our every day activities with us hardly aware of its presence. It can permeate our minds all too easily, and once it gains a foothold, it slowly but steadily saps our enthusiasm and interest to the point that we are forced to resort to certain means just to snap out of it. Boredom chooses no one in particular regardless of age, gender, or social status. It can strike anyone given the typical conditions necessitated to incite it.

What Boredom Is All About
Boredom, in actuality, is a feeling. Also known as “ennui,” it is identified as an emotional state that any of us can experience given that we are exposed to periods characterized by the lack of or absence of activity, or periods occupied by activities in which we are absolutely disinterested in. Whenever we are bored, we become restless and unable to focus. In psychology, however, boredom is said to arise not because of the lack or absence of activity, but because of our inability to become interested or mentally engaged in any activity. Moreover, psychologists state that boredom is pervasive in the sense that it can take hold despite our desire to become interested in the latter.
We are likely to experience boredom in three diverse situations: one, when we are unable to become involved in a certain activity; two, when we are forced to partake in an activity we do not like; and three, when we cannot sustain involvement in any activity due to an absence of interest arising from inexplicable reasons. As such, regardless of any of the given situation, all of them involve our having trouble sustaining our attention. What is more, all of us are susceptible to any of the aforementioned situations.

The Downside of Boredom
One important aspect given consideration in psychology is that of having the quality that makes us prone to experiencing boredom in all of the given situations. Being prone to boredom is evaluated by means of the Boredom Proneness scale. A person identified to be “boredom prone” consistently experiences trouble with his attention that he is characterized to have a “failing attention.” As such, being boredom prone makes a person susceptible to depression, which is often treated using the safest antidepressant. In addition, it makes him more vulnerable to encountering psychological, physical social, and educational dilemmas.