Boredom gets a bad rap. But science says it can really be good for us

We have all experienced boredom – this feeling of falling interest or reduced mental stimulation. Eventually we lose the focus, we get rid of it. Time seems to be going slow and maybe we start to feel anxious. Whether you watch a frustrating movie, a child complains that “there is nothing to do”, or an adult who puts out during a meeting – boredom is a global experience.

Is generally defined as Difficulty maintaining attention or interest In a current activity, boredom is usually regarded as a negative situation that we should try to avoid or prevent ourselves from experiencing.

But what if there is another way to see boredom as a positive situation? Could he learn to hug boredom to be beneficial?

The brain in boredom

The brain network is a system of interconnected areas that work together to support different functions. We can look like a city where the suburbs (brain areas) are connected to roads (nervous streets), everyone collaborates to allow the effective path of information.

When we experience boredom – let’s say, while watching a movie – our brain deals with specific networks. THE attention network It prioritizes relative stimuli while filtering the distractions and is active when we start the film.

However, as our attention weakens, the activity on the attention network decreases, reflecting our reduced ability to maintain focus on the contents it unfolds. Similarly, reduced activity appears in The Frontoparietal or Executive Control network Due to the struggle to maintain the commitment with the UNGENGING movie.

At the same time, the Default Mode Network It activates, shifting our attention to inner thoughts and self-reflecting. This is a key function of the default network network, which is referred to as endoscopy, and indicates a strategy for tackling boredom.

This complex interaction of networks includes several basic areas of the brain “cooperating” during the boredom state. THE island It is a key hub for sensory and emotional treatment. This area has increased activity when detecting internal body signals – such as boredom thoughts – indicating that the film is no longer involved. This is often referred to as “intermediate perception”.

THE almond It can be likened to an internal alarm system. It processes emotional information and plays a role in shaping emotional memories. During boredom, this area processes relatively negative feelings and abdominal middle frontal cortex It motivates us to look for alternative excavation activities.

Boredom against over -stimulation

We live in a society that submits us to overload and high stress. In this respect, many of us have adopted a quick lifestyle, constantly planning ourselves to keep busy. As adults they weigh work and family. If we have children, the habit of filling the day with school and after school activities allows us to work longer.

Among these activities, if we have time to stop, we may be on our screens constantly organizing, updating or moving to remain occupied. As a result, adults accidentally shape the need to constantly be “in” younger generations.

This constant stimulation may be expensive – especially for our nervous system. Our overcrowding can supply the nervous system over -stimulation. The sympathetic nervous system that manages our response to battle or flight is designed to face stress times.

However, when we are constantly underlined by receiving new information and weighing different activities, the sympathetic nervous system can remain activated for a long time, due to the cumulative effects of repeated exposure to different stress factors. This is sometimes referred to as “allostatic overload“It is when our nervous system is flooded, holding us in an increased stimulation state that can Increase the risk of stress.

Eliminating the condition of boredom deprives us of a simple and natural way to restore our nice nervous system.

Could boredom be good for us?

In small doses, boredom is the necessary compensation in the over -stimulation of the world in which we live. Can offer unique benefits For our nervous system and our mental health. This is opposed to long boredom periods where increased pre -selected network activity may be related to depression.

There are many benefits from granting permission to get bored occasionally:

• Improvements to creativityallowing us to build “flow” to our thoughts
• is developing Independence in thought and encourages finding other interests rather than on continuous external input
• Supports self -esteem and emotional arrangement, because unstructured times can help us sit down with our feelings that are important for stress management
• Encourages periods without the use of devices and breaks the loop of direct satisfaction that contributes to forced use of devices
• balances the nervous system and reduces sensory entrance to help the rest of stress.

Hug the pause

Stress levels are increasing worldwide, especially among our young people. Many factors contribute to this trend. We are constantly “on”, trying to ensure that we are planning for every moment. But in this way, we may deprive the brains and bodies of stopping time to restore and recharge.

We have to hug the pause. It is a place where creativity can prosper, emotions can be regulated and the nervous system can restore.