The Evolutionary And Creative Function Of Boredom

Manoush Zomorodi, host of the “Note to Self” podcast, dives into the realm of boredom in this article and comes back with some really interesting insight. Who would’ve thought boredom could be so exciting?

A scientist who began researching boredom because she wanted to find out why, if it’s such a negative emotion, do people still have it, pointed out boredom’s evolutionary function - “Imagine a world where we didn’t get bored,” Mann said. “We’d be perpetually excited by everything—raindrops falling, the cornflakes at breakfast time.” Then, through a series of experiments, she found out that boredom opens the door for mind-wandering, which then leads to creativity. “People who are bored think more creatively than those who aren’t”, she concluded.

What’s so important about daydreaming and mind-wandering is that it allows you to tap into your subconscious. Scientifically, they’re also intriguing because they show "the capacity that people have to create thought in a pure way rather than thought happening when it’s a response to events in the outside world.”

Mind-wandering can, however, have some negative effects. It can cause and perpetuate a state of unhappiness, some people can get lost in feelings of guilt or obsessive-compulsive behaviour.

“So what’s the deal? Is mind-wandering productive or self-defeating? Well, it seems that, like everything else in life, daydreaming is complicated.”