Can boredom ever be good? Part 1

Can boredom ever be good? Part 1

What can we learn from feeling bored more often than we'd like? This episode of All In The Mind looks at the spike in boredom during COVID isolation and asks whether some of that empty time might actually be useful. Science reporter Carl Smith joins host Sana Kadar to sort through the many shades of boredom, with help from leading researchers.

Sociologist Ruut Veenhoven introduces the Dutch idea of "niksen" – literally "doing nothing" – describing it as "looking out of the window, daydreaming, no focused thought" and noting that it can feel pleasant, so long as you don’t "nix too long". Psychologist Dr Sandy Mann calls boredom "that negative feeling that we experience when we are searching for neural stimulation and not getting it" and argues that, despite its bad reputation, it can spark creativity.

Her experiments show that people given painfully dull tasks, like copying phone numbers, later come up with more original ideas, especially when the boredom allows their minds to wander freely. Professor Thomas Goetz adds more fine detail, outlining five distinct types of boredom: indifferent, calibrating, searching, reactant and apathetic. Some forms feel slightly positive and relaxing, while others slide towards anger, restlessness or a near-depressed state.

Crucially, he suggests boredom can be a quiet signal that something in life lacks meaning and needs to change. The conversation doesn’t shy away from the dark side: boredom’s links with risky behaviour, unhealthy habits and even an association with shorter lifespans. Yet the guests keep returning to a simple, practical idea – instead of constantly reaching for a phone, let yourself stare into space, daydream and see what surfaces.

If boredom is such a regular visitor, might it be worth treating it less like an enemy and more like a nudge to rethink how you spend your time?