Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Busyness
An astute time traveler visiting from the past to observe and report upon today’s urban society would be surprised and shocked – perhaps even awed – by the world we now live in. He or she would likely label the 21st century The Age of Constant Doing. Look around you: everyone is in a constant state of busyness, moving from here to there; doing this, then that, and then the other thing.
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Technological, economic, and cultural factors have come together to a point where our employers expect constant productivity and drive us accordingly. Have you heard of the 996 hustle-culture? Originating in China, it is now taking root in Silicon Valley and other areas around the world: an expectation that you will work for your employer from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week.
Outside the workplace, we place a premium on urgency: faster deliveries, quicker travel times. The e-commerce industry is engaged in a fierce race, where ultra-fast delivery, often within 10-30 minutes, has become the new standard and a key competitive differentiator. We rush from one task to another, from one place to another. We seek instant gratification. We barely pause to take a breath. The environment we live in has profound impacts on our well-being and social interaction.
Consequences
The relentless drive to be productive and do more in less time has several negative consequences. Our health is affected; constant activity and the pressure to achieve invariably result in chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. This often leads to serious cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental-health problems. Personal, family, and social relationships suffer, and leisure time diminishes or disappears when work and tasks consistently take priority.
Constant – hypervigilant – attention to work-related issues adversely impacts cognitive function, making one less attentive to everything else. Decision-making suffers. Beyond a certain point, longer hours become counterproductive; they suppress innovation and result in lower-quality work.
A fish out of water?
Conditioned to live in this hustle mode, we feel like fish out of water when we find ourselves with nothing to do. When we have to wait for something, or are faced with a momentary lull in our action-filled day, we instantly feel bored; this situation – a lack of activity – does not provide any engagement, stimulation, challenge, or meaning. Dissatisfaction and the need to be doing something kick in. What do we do? We whip out a digital device and begin scrolling, searching. We fill that moment with activity.
Enter Arthur C. Brooks. He is a professor at Harvard’s Business School and Kennedy School, where he runs the Leadership & Happiness Laboratory at the Center for Public Leadership. Recognized for his research in leadership, philanthropy, public finance, social entrepreneurship and happiness, Professor Brooks is a prolific speaker and author of the weekly column “How to Build a Life” in The Atlantic, as well as several books including The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life and From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.
“You need to be bored,” Brooks says, “you will have less meaning and you will be more depressed if you are never bored.”
The default mode network
Brooks describes boredom as the tendency not to be occupied cognitively. In this mode, our brain switches over to a thinking system called the default-mode network, an interconnected group of brain structures – a part of our brain that activates when we have nothing else to think about. This network shows lower levels of activity when we are engaged in a particular task, such as paying attention, but higher levels of activity when we are awake and not involved in any specific mental exercise.
Research has shown that people find it difficult to simply be alone with their thoughts, often preferring to engage in external activities or even painful stimuli to avoid internal reflection. The mind wanders, often into regions of thought that make us uncomfortable. Most people prefer to be doing something mundane or distracting, seeking constant connection through social media or other distractions to avoid being alone with their thoughts. We have figured out a way to shut off the default mode network in our brains. Shutting off, as it turns out, is really important for us.
Boredom is essential
“Being bored is good,” says Professor Brooks, “It can lead us to ask big questions;” to think about what life means to us. Probing, existential questions are incredibly important, incredibly good, he says. Making it harder for ourselves to find meaning in our lives is a recipe for depression and anxiety. “Be bored more,” he exhorts. Recent research links brain activity in the default mode network to depression, as Brooks suggests.
Boredom is a skill
It is during these times when the default mode network kicks in that we might daydream, recall memories, and envision the future. We might reflect on our relationships and think about the intentions of others. We might find ourselves “just thinking” without any explicit goal in mind. Some of our best, creative ideas often pop up in such sessions. “Just be in your head,” Brooks says, “that’s when you will have your most interesting ideas.” Periods of boredom, fifteen minutes or longer, can change our lives. We will understand ourselves better, improve our self-esteem, be better able to define our purpose, be more comfortable with who we are, and be happier.
Think of boredom as a skill to be practiced and honed. Boredom is not a void to be filled, but a catalyst for creativity, productivity, and self-awareness. It will promote personal growth and well-being. The initial feeling of discomfort and agitation is part of the process of this practice. Think of it as a sign that you are on the right track to unlocking its benefits.
Boredom: leverage it!