Boredom: a necessary evil – really?
I was in my late thirties, having a relaxed chat with one of my wisest and friendliest neighbours, when he suddenly declared:
“Richard, what you will find is that, as you get older, you will become more eccentric.”
To which I probably replied something along the lines of “Oh, OK, thanks for that, Stephen” — and thought nothing more of it.
But do you know, he was absolutely right. Because here I am, writing about boredom.
Me: eccentric. Really?!
A book about boredom — really? #
In my travels and rummaging through the shelves of my local library a few years ago, I stumbled upon a book called Boredom: A Lively History by Peter Toohey — a professor of classics at the University of Calgary. Perhaps, I thought, a bored professor of classics at the University of Calgary.
But his book is surprisingly interesting, which creates two remarkable things worth noting:
A book on boredom has actually been written. And I was interested enough in boredom to read it.
A true paradox indeed. Curiosity clearly got the better of me.
Toohey’s work was the first book to argue seriously for the benefits of boredom, challenging the assumption that it is simply a childish emotion or an existential malaise. He makes the case that boredom is one of our most common and constructive emotions, and an essential part of the human experience. Reviewers noted that Toohey presents his argument with such pace and energy that there is, appropriately enough, no time to be bored while reading it. Amazon
So what actually is boredom? #
According to Toohey, boredom is a form of disgust. Not the visceral physical disgust we feel when confronted with something genuinely distressing, but a subtler disgust associated with our situation and surroundings — a signal from our minds that something needs to change.
Predictability, monotony and confinement are the key ingredients. Any situation that stays the same for too long can trigger it. Road trips, certain meetings, and long-haul economy flights with no parachute. Yale Books
The good news is that, if properly recognised, boredom is an adaptive emotion — meaning it is designed to help us flourish rather than simply make us miserable. It may protect us from situations that are too confining, too predictable, or too samey for our own sanity. In that sense, boredom is not a flaw in our experience. It is a prompt.
Contrast our bored state with those moments when we are entirely absorbed in something enthralling — when time almost ceases and we are fully present in the task. That state has a name: flow. Boredom and flow sit at opposite ends of the same spectrum, and understanding one helps us pursue the other.
What the science says about variety #
Toohey’s prescription was to seek variety in experience rather than a medical cure, and modern neuroscience backs him up rather robustly.
Aerobic exercise stimulates neurogenesis — the creation of new neurons — primarily in the hippocampus, the area of the brain fundamental to learning and memory. It also enhances brain plasticity, essential for recovery from injury and ageing, and improves cognitive functions including attention and memory. Neurogenesis, incidentally, is not a Phil Collins tribute act — but the actual regrowth of brain cells. Monotony, by contrast, literally shrinks the brain by reducing the number and lifespan of its neurons. The science here is unambiguous. UAB News
There is also a particularly pleasing finding for those of us who network actively. Exercise has been shown to stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis more effectively in socially-housed subjects compared to those in isolation, suggesting that the social context of activity amplifies its brain benefits. In other words, networking isn’t just good for business. It is, quite literally, good for the brain. Springer
The practical prescription #
So what do we actually do to introduce some variety and keep the brain in good shape?
Music is a brilliant tonic — classical, in particular, has long been associated with focus and calm. Aerobic exercise promotes new brain cell growth and improves memory, as the research above makes clear. And social interaction, whether through networking, friendships or community involvement, keeps the brain healthy in ways that solitary activity simply cannot replicate.
Organise your time well. Eat regularly, sleep properly, and go out. Manage empty time by turning it into genuinely enjoyable free time rather than passively filling it with distraction. And use moments of boredom as creative prompts — a signal to challenge the accepted, search for change, and try something you haven’t tried before.
If I may sum up by paraphrasing one of my favourite sayings: “Industry is the enemy of melancholy” — and, presumably, of boredom too.
Thank you for reading. Keep your lives full and varied.
Author: Richard Bull-Domican, founder of New Era Financial Introductions, a B2B lead generation consultancy with over twenty years of experience. The perspectives shared here come from two decades in the field; not theory, but practice.
I create small, digestible guides on Gumroad for business owners who hate aggressive tactics and prefer relationship-led approaches. New resources are added regularly. For longer reads on lead generation and the human side of sales, follow me on Medium and join the daily conversation on LinkedIn.
Gumroad: https://richardbulldomican.gumroad.com/
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