Being Bored Might Actually Make You Smarter Edward ClarkAugust 30, 2025 at 9:11 PM People often treat boredom as something to be eliminated, a state that signals wasted time or lack of stimulation. Yet psychologists and neuroscientists argue the opposite: boredom can serve an essential function.
- - Being Bored Might Actually Make You Smarter
Edward ClarkAugust 30, 2025 at 9:11 PM
People often treat boredom as something to be eliminated, a state that signals wasted time or lack of stimulation. Yet psychologists and neuroscientists argue the opposite: boredom can serve an essential function. By forcing the mind to pause, it creates space for reflection, sparks creativity, and restores mental energy. Here's how it works.
Why People Hate Being Bored So Much
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Before we get to the upside, let's talk about just how allergic people are to boredom. A 2014 study at the University of Virginia published in Science asked volunteers to sit alone in a room for 15 minutes with nothing to do. They couldn't press their phones, read books, or listen to music.
There was also a button that delivered a small but painful electric shock. You'd expect people to avoid the shock, right? Instead, 67% of men and 25% of women pressed the button at least once, preferring pain over 15 minutes of boredom. Some didn't even last six minutes before giving in.
This might sound extreme, but it makes sense when you consider how modern life conditions us. We're surrounded by endless stimulation: social media, streaming, email, and endless multitasking. Naturally, being forced to sit with our own thoughts feels uncomfortable. Yet that discomfort might be the very reason boredom has benefits.
What Happens In The Brain During Boredom
Researchers studying the neuroscience of boredom have found that the brain doesn't just "shut off" when you lose interest.
According to youth mental health researchers in Australia, networks like the attention system and executive control system wind down when bored, while the "default mode network" kicks in. This is the brain's resting state, where introspection, daydreaming, and self-reflection work.
In this state, different brain regions work together in interesting ways. The insula processes your internal body signals by helping you recognize feelings like restlessness. The amygdala, your emotional alarm system, notes the frustration.
Meanwhile, the ventral medial prefrontal cortex pushes you to seek something new or stimulating. Boredom works as a system designed to push you toward fresh ideas.
The Hidden Perks Of Being Bored
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Once you reframe boredom as downtime for your brain, the upsides start to stack up.
Several studies have shown that people perform better on creative tasks after a period of boredom. In one experiment at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK, participants were asked to copy phone numbers from a phone book. Later, they came up with more creative uses for plastic cups than those who didn't have the boring warm-up. Boredom seemed to prime their brains for divergent thinking.
Psychiatrists also point out that boredom is when your brain starts consolidating memories, replaying experiences, and simulating possible futures. That's why people often say they have their best ideas in the shower or on a walk. Your brain finally has the space to wander, connect dots, and deliver solutions.
Constant stimulation keeps your sympathetic nervous system—the one responsible for fight-or-flight—in overdrive. As researchers explain, removing stimulation through moments of boredom can calm this system and help reduce anxiety.
Without constant stimulation, people are forced to confront emotions that they might normally push aside. That can feel uncomfortable, but it helps with self-awareness and making intentional decisions rather than defaulting to whatever's loudest in your environment.
Why We've Lost The Art Of Boredom
Of course, these benefits only happen if we let boredom run its course. And that's the problem; instead of sitting with it, most of us fill the space with scrolling, streaming, or shopping. The same study that showed people shocking themselves also suggested that we've become so conditioned to stimulation that stillness feels unbearable.
Even kids rarely get the downtime that breeds creativity. As psychiatrist Ashok Seshadri at Mayo Clinic noted, many parents feel pressure to keep children entertained constantly. But letting kids get bored actually builds independence, resilience, and planning skills. Given a little space, they often create their own games, stories, or projects. In the long run, that's far more valuable than being handed a screen.
Learning To Be Bored The Right Way
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So how do you actually put this into practice without losing your mind? Researchers suggest reframing boredom not as wasted time but as useful rest. Start small:
Pause before grabbing your phone. Give yourself 10 minutes of doing nothing. Let your thoughts drift.
Do low-stimulation activities. Take a walk, doodle, or just watch clouds. These activities let your brain sit idle without total disengagement.
Use boredom as fuel. Got a repetitive task? Let it trigger innovation. Studies show people often find ways to automate or improve boring tasks simply because their brains are desperate for novelty.
Let kids get bored, too. Instead of rushing to entertain them, give them paper, blocks, or even just an empty box. Their creativity flourishes when they have to invent their own fun.
There's even wisdom in old sayings here. A Zen proverb advises sitting in meditation for 20 minutes daily, or for an hour if you're too busy. It's basically another way of saying that the busier you are, the more your brain needs downtime.
The Sweet Spot
Of course, like anything, balance matters. Too much boredom can tip into lethargy or even depression. Studies show that excessive activation of the default mode network links to rumination and negative emotions. The key is short, manageable doses, not so long that you feel stuck.
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