The dynamics of boredom
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 – Good Health & Wellbeing.
Boredom is a state that reflects a momentary unsatisfactory interaction with our internal and external world. When we feel bored, each moment stretches, and we feel unable to adequately engage with our surroundings. In this state, we may feel a loss of agency and of adequate interaction with the world. Boredom is not a uniform experience; it varies considerably between individuals and changes within the same person over time. Prototypically, boredom arises when a task is repetitive, lacks meaning, or is perceived as either too easy or too difficult. It manifests through cognitive, affective, and physiological aspects, making it an aversive state that prompts us to seek out more rewarding behavioural alternatives. It has been associated with both high and low levels of arousal – e.g., restlessness and lethargy, respectively. Interestingly, boredom may serve a functional role, driving exploratory behaviour both physically (through changes in activity) and mentally (through shifts in thinking). It can be seen as adaptive; however, it can motivate both negative and positive behaviours.
In this collection, we will study boredom from two primary angles: individual differences and situational differences. For individual differences, we will for example examine the possible link between state and trait boredom, particularly boredom proneness. Individuals who are boredom-prone may experience boredom more frequently and intensely and struggle to respond adaptively to boredom signals. For situational differences, we will consider different contexts (such as sports, education or work), and the distinction between boredom experienced in empirical studies versus everyday life. This collection aims to advance our theoretical understanding of boredom, improve the methods used to study boredom, and consider practical applications for managing boredom in real-world settings.
The collection is open to a range of topics, including, but not restricted to, the following questions:
- What are the boundaries between boredom and other cognitive and affective states?
- How does boredom shape behaviour?
- How is boredom related to the experience of time?
- How does boredom change over time?
- How is the experience of boredom manifested in the body?
- What is the relationship between our experience of boredom and a more reflective stance in terms of awareness?
- Is boredom effortful? What cognitive and affective processes (such as attentional control and emotion regulation) are involved in the experience of boredom, and how do individuals alleviate their experience of boredom?
- How is boredom accessed and what determines its accessibility?
As this collection does not adopt an exclusively psychological perspective but aims to emphasize situational and societal aspects of boredom as well, a legitimate question arises: Does boredom primarily arise from the absence of rewarding behavioural options, or does it rather occur due to an abundance of readily available options that people are constantly exposed to? Are readily available stimuli a detriment to deeper engagement with life and affecting mental health? Simply put, while scrolling through social media might temporarily alleviate boredom, it might not truly address boredom, as boredom is understood to signal a need for greater significance and agency in our lives.
From a methodological point of view, we invite contributions reporting on empirical studies using a wide range of methodologies, spanning from controlled laboratory experiments to real-world investigations. This includes multi-method approaches, combining behavioural, physiological, and subjective measures, as well as experience sampling methods, questionnaires, virtual reality, and social media data analysis, to mention a few. In addition to empirical studies, we also welcome meta-analyses and theoretical contributions that synthesize existing research and / or propose new theoretical ideas.
Editors
Submitting a paper for consideration
To submit your manuscript for consideration at Humanities & Social Sciences Communications as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, please select your article type from the drop down menu. When on the “details” tab, you will be presented with the option to select which Collection your article should be submitted to. Authors should also express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.
Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.
