The benefits of boredom

Happy Sunday. If you’re reading this in bed, the bathroom, or maybe on the couch, this one’s for you.

Try to focus

I’m sitting here, foot tapping, brain racing, trying to write this newsletter.

I’ve got all the research — ChatGPT queries, old studies, saved social media clips (that while editing this, I never even pulled out to use).

But I can’t focus. I can’t get my fingers typing.

Maybe I should go for a run. But I need to stretch first. What did my physio say again?

Ding. A Slack message. I should respond.

Buzz. A 604 number. I run to my phone. Spam call.

Then my smart speaker chimes: “Someone is at your door.” It’s my sister-in-law.

My wife chats with her. I stare at the screen.

Back to the run idea. But yeah, what were those stretches again?

Why can’t I just focus?

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

— Blaise Pascal, 1600s

Four centuries later, researchers at the University of West Virginia tested this. Volunteers were asked to sit in a quiet room for 15 minutes where their only option, other than doing nothing, was to press a button that delivered a painful shock to the ankle.

67% of men and 25% of women chose pain over boredom. (What’s that old saying about women living longer than men?)

Another study showed students couldn’t focus on homework for more than two minutes without checking the web. Adults make it about 11 minutes at work - the Pomodoro timer hasn’t even gone off yet.

We’ve made boredom extinct.

And we’re paying the price.

Dopamine is the brain’s reward chemical. It motivates you to seek out pleasure and relief.

Big Tech knows this. Every app, every notification, every video — they’re all designed for dopamine hits. Keep scrolling, keep swiping, stay hooked.

Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author of Dopamine Nation, calls the smartphone a “modern-day hypodermic needle.” Each swipe delivers a microdose of the chemical.

But too much dopamine disregulates the system.

Each high brings a crash. And to fix that crash, we seek more dopamine. More noise. More content. Infinite content.

Over time, the brain adapts. It produces less dopamine. It becomes less sensitive to pleasure.

Suddenly, everyday life feels dull. The threshold for joy gets higher. And neurologically, it starts to look a lot like addiction. Dopamine isn’t the joy centre it once was, it’s a synthetic drug tainted with notifications that follow us everywhere.

But here’s the good news.

At Iowa State University, researchers had students limit social media to 30 minutes a day (the pain! the suffering!). Just two weeks in, anxiety, depression, and FOMO dropped. Happiness spiked.

Another study blocked 400+ adults from using the internet on their phones. They could still call, text, or use the web on a computer. 91% improved in at least one area: mood, mental health, or overall wellbeing. One researcher said the gains were greater than what antidepressants typically deliver.

Jennifer Roberts, a Harvard art professor, asks her students to stare at a single artwork for three hours. No distractions. Just observe.

Afterward, they report deeper insights, creative thoughts, and a sense of awe they’d never experienced before.

So maybe boredom isn’t the enemy.

Maybe it’s the key.

The pebble

Unlock some happiness by staring until you see someone sitting down staring back at you.

The challenge

I want to encourage you to tap into boredom to unlock your creativity. There are many places and times we can be bored: like eating dinner and going to bed.

Make a promise to yourself to not use your phone at those times.

Be social at dinner or, if you’re alone, chew your food slowly and appreciate every bite. Move your cell phone charging station out of your room. That doom scrolling you’re doing is only keeping you awake. Dim the lights, read a book, and fall asleep.

Thanks for reading. We’re honoured you’ve spent a bit of your day with us. If you’re feeling generous, why not forward this email to a friend?