Amidst COVID-19 outbreak, Curly Tales encourages you to stay indoors. We take you around the world from the comfort of your home. #SpreadPositivity #ArmchairTravel
There are two different types of people: Those who are constantly looking for new experiences and the other for whom the world is a fearful place and hence they don’t step out of their comfort zone.
Apart from Covid19 fear and panic, if there’s one thing we are all dealing with right now, it is the lockdown boredom. The current scenario has led countries across the globe to shut down, and that means we’re all stuck indoors.
While a lot of us work from home, the routine of just staying indoors and repeating the same chores can bog us down. And most often, we tent to think boredom is bad simply because we’re not allowing our brain to think or be productive. Well, turns out that boredom is GOOD for us! According to a study conducted at the University of Limerick, boredom is good for you.
Boredom Encourages Creativity
Boredom can lead to people finding creative ways to engage the mind in altruistic, empathetic and prosocial tasks. Bored people often realize their actions are meaningless and begin hunting for more meaningful means to engage themselves. In the process, creativity is born. However, the study suggests that human beings get creative not just to solve a particular problem. People get creative when they get bored of a particular action or a routine and want to try something new.
So, mommies- it’s perfectly alright to let your kids get bored. You’re just boosting their creativity.
Findings From Studies
Another finding carried an experiment to prove boredom leads to creativity. As part of the experiment, participants were given enough time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more inventive answers.
A study conducted by the Academy of Management mentions boredom as the least understood emotion. In the study, people were asked to perform a boredom-inducing task like sorting a bowl of beans according to the color. The group that was bored performed better than the control group which was already well-versed with such activities. The ‘bored’ group outperformed the control group in quantity, quality and ideas. The researchers then concluded that boredom can increase can productivity and creativity.
Sandi Mann, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire also researched the benefits of being bored and discovered positive outcomes. In his book- The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom Is Good, Mann investigates the causes and consequences of boredom. In her book, Mann wrote: “We’re trying to swipe and scroll the boredom away, but in doing that, we’re making ourselves more prone to boredom, because every time we get our phone out, we’re not allowing our mind to wander and to solve our boredom problems.”
Benefits Of Boredom
1. Leads to creativity
2. Slows Down your mind
3. Boosts mental health
4. Can make you a better person
5. Makes you more goal-oriented
Occasional boredom is good for you. So instead of worrying or figuring out new ways to engage, allow yourself to be bored because this is an opportunity for you to unplug, daydream, and let your creative juices flow.