Why boredom?

Every day we are exposed to an overload of input information and impulses. When we reach a state of sensory solitude all the input could condense and organize itself. Only then we can reach a receptive or inspirational status allowing us to process and digest the input information. Maybe even with a great and beautiful outcome, at least we would not feel so enveloped by our everyday life.

But instead of actually dealing with ourselves and trying to implement a moment of mental solitude, we just turn back to our cellphone and check out what's new. Feeding our mind with more input, which is only possible by ommiting some of the old information. Of course this will help, but similarly as a painkiller soothes your headache: It removes the symptom, but not the actual cause.

So, why are we doing this then?

Because the alternative would involve feeling bored. Being bored does not genuinely feel good. It is something we have overcome, that we do not have to regularly experience in the twenty first century. We have gotten rid of it through an extensive selection of distractions.

Therefore, my objective was to examine the phenomenon of boredom and investigate if it can have an positive inpact on our living. The following paper is a summary of how I went about this and my findings.

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