According to scientific research, boredom is defined as a state of wanting to engage in activities that you like without actually wanting to do them. This is how Ismael Santos, former basketball player, now trained and specialized in the field of psychology, explains.
According to him, a problem in society as a whole today is that of being in search of pleasure and success. Santos relates this to the development of technology that has made it possible to work from anywhere, making it very difficult to set personal boundaries because there is always work to be done.
In order to understand how the brain reacts when there are moments of boredom, some specific studies have been carried out, which have provided valuable information.
Santos has undertaken a portion of studies in 2018 analyzing different individuals as subjects. They each underwent brain scans to see the activity and change in blood flow while watching specific videos.
The researchers came to the conclusion that there is an increase in activity in the DMN (Default Mode Network), a cyclical system of neurons that is activated when an individual is not interacting to perform a certain task, i.e. is in a state of rest. This neurological area is considered the "base of the self". It is activated when we think about ourselves or others and when we think about the present and the future. The DMN activity found in these study participants shows the chain of reactions that cause boredom, but not the reasons why it is caused.
But what are the benefits of boredom?
Many studies link boredom with the motivation to set new goals and achieve them. Boredom is a way for the brain to rest and get ready to take in new information while forgetting old ones.
So the next time you feel emotionally overwhelmed, remind yourself that with boredom we are giving the brain a chance to calm down and get ready for new challenges.
