The Importance of Boredom in the Digital Age
Updated: Oct 14
Try to think back to the last time you allowed your mind to be unstimulated.
Was it during a mundane daily activity, like ironing, doing the laundry, taking a shower or going for a long walk? Was it in the line at a coffee shop, or on a long bus journey?
Was it during those quiet moments before sleep?
It is very likely that during at least some of these activities, you found ways to stimulate your brain, engaging in learning, entertainment or productivity. With the availability of podcasts, audiobooks, on demand videos and mobile gaming, there is almost no reason nowadays to ever feel bored.
It can feel like we are engaged in a battle against boredom and the quiet moments in our lives.
Why suffer through a silence, when you can catch up on global news, scroll through curated content or practise a new language?
But with the availability of on demand stimulation, we have perhaps misidentified boredom as something to be defeated, when in fact, it is a crucial part of the human creative and regulatory process.
What language reveals about our attitude to boredom
Our attitude towards periods of stillness and inactivity is closely related to the language that we use to describe these states.
In English, we rarely use the phrase, "I'm bored" in a positive way. It sounds like a complaint, a personal defect, or a problem to be solved. Similarly, describing an activity as 'boring' rarely conveys appreciation.
Looking at language used by other cultures reveals alternative ways of viewing periods of stillness. This suggests a link between language, thought and our attitude towards time spent without stimulation.
Korean - 'Shim-shim-hada' and 'Jamie-eopsoyo'
Korean language distinguishes between different types of boredom.
'지루하다' ('Jiru-hada') describes the tedious, grinding boredom of an activity dragging on and on. (Hopefully you are not are not experiencing Jiru-hada right now!) It is a feeling that something is filling your time and you desperately wish it would end more quickly.
'심심하다' (Shim-shim-hada') is a more light-hearted expression of the feeling of having nothing to do. It conveys a feeling of feeling restless, looking for additional stimulation. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, when you friends are busy, you might use the phrase 'Shim-shim-hada', while pacing around, looking for something interesting to do. It is often that during periods of 'Shim-shim-hada', someone would reach for technology to entertain them!
Furthermore, when an activity itself feels dull and uninspiring, Koreans often say "재미없어요" ("Jamie-eopsoyo"), which translates to "there is no fun", or "it lacks interest".
There is a subtle, but significant distinction here. Stating that an activity is "jamie-eopsoyo" removes the blame from the inner state of the individual. Instead, it focuses entirely on the activity itself, recognising that there are some activities that do not possess intrinsic entertainment value. This framing can help us to combat the idea that all tasks, at all times of day should be '재미있어요' ('jamie-issoyo'), 'full of fun and engagement'. Without this expectation, we are less likely to automatically fill times of quiet or stillness with digital engagement.
What Mandarin Chinese and Taoism teach us about 'non doing'
In everyday, Mandarin Chinese, the word for being bored is '无聊' ('Wúliáo.')
If we look at the characters, the literal translation provides insight about the concept of boredom. 无 (Wú) means "without" or "lacking", while '聊' ('liáo') means to 'chat', to 'rely on' or to 'pass the time'. To feel Wúliáo is to experience "nothing to rely on or to pass the time."
What is interesting is that Wúliáo doesn't focus on feeling sad or restless. Instead, the term points to empty space. When an empty moment occurs, such as standing in a line or waiting for a kettle to boil, the brain can be allowed to accept this empty space. This stillness is needed for the default mode to activate, which we will discuss below.
When Mandarin Chinese speakers talk about a dull task, they often describe it as "没意思" ("méi yìsi"), which is the opposite of '有意思' ('yǒu yìsi').
The character, 意 (yì) represents 'meaning', 'ideas' or 'thought', while 思 (si) means 'thought' or 'reflection'. (The character 思 combines "field" and "heart/mind"). To say that an experience is "méi yìsi" is to say that it "lacks intrinsic point, intention or thought."
Describing something as meaningful or not meaningful places the focus on the activity and not the state of mind of the individual. It reinforces the idea that stimulation, or non-stimulation of the mind are not always the most pressing issues, instead evaluating activities for their meaning and worth.
无为 (Wu wei)
While 无聊' ('Wúliáo') describes empty space, 无为 (wúwéi) describes ancient Taoist philosophy which translates to "purposeful non-doing".
Wúwéi suggests that sitting still is an active process, not an inactive one. It is the process of clearing away external demands to enable the mind to rediscover its rhythm and creativity.
Both Korean and Mandarin Chinese offer ways to further understand what happens when we feel disengaged or unstimulated. As we will see in the next section, where we examine the neuroscience around boredom, this distinction might be crucial in providing the conditions for long-term mental health and sustained creativity.
What Neuroscience tells us about boredom and innovation
Academic research points to the importance of states of inactivity in terms of creativity and health. When we stop focusing on external, goal oriented tasks, the brain does not simply deactivate. Instead, it activates a complex neural network, known as the Default Mode Network (DMN.) During periods of daydreaming, reflecting or resting, the DMN is the brain's engine for memory consolidation, reflection and creativity, connecting ideas that were previously separate in the mind.
In a famous study in 2014, researchers Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman tested whether situational boredom drives creative output.
They assigned one group of participants a dull task, copying the phone numbers of of a phone book for 15 minutes. A second group skipped the boring task entirely. Afterwards, both groups completed a standard divergent thinking test where they were asked to think of as many uses as possible for plastic cups.
The results were striking. The group that had been forced to completed the dull task generated significantly more creative, novel ideas that the un-bored control group. Mann and Cadman concluded that boredom includes daydreaming which acts as a direct bridge for creative innovation.
Why are we so resistant to a state of mind that seems to be such a fundamental need?
Another important study in 2014, led by Timothy Wilson, revealed how uncomfortable unoccupied thought has become.
In this study, participants were placed in a quiet room for 15 minutes with no devices, no book and no writing tools, just their own thoughts. They were given one physical option which was to press a button and receive a mild, unpleasant electric shock.
The results of this study were also astonishing. 67% of male participants and 25% of female participants voluntarily shocked themselves rather than sit in peaceful silence. One participant shocked himself 190 times.
These two studies point to a key conflict. Periods of quiet inactivity seem vital to the creative process. This supports the commonly expressed view, that some of the best ideas are formed in the shower, one of the most difficult times to be distracted by digital technology!
But at the same time, we are growing used to finding periods of quiet stillness increasingly difficult to bear, and easy to avoid.
Conclusion - what are the implications for education and how do we preserve boredom?
The first step in providing for vital periods of inactivity is understanding the nature of inactivity and our relationship with it.
For this reason, I have spent time looking at the insights that different languages can offer into times when we are inactive, times when we seek stimulation and activities that are by their nature, repetitive or quiet.
The other aspect of understanding boredom is being aware of the effects that it has upon us, both beneficial and uncomfortable. From looking at research, it appears that the popular saying "my best thoughts come to me in the shower" is grounded in science.
We are constantly prompted to end periods of stillness and quiet through notifications and algorithms that offer us digestible content that is tailored exactly to our desires. Overcoming this requires appreciation of stillness and inactivity to at least the same level as the pressures in the opposite direction.
How this applies in education
One area that this challenge is becoming urgent is in the field of education. Creativity and problem solving are skills are integral to children's success both in traditional education and as education evolves to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. On top of this, to make children resilient to the availability of constant access to digital media, we need to teach them why periods of stillness and the Default Mode Network are important.
The school curriculum is already full with little room for additional topics. Updates to the English National Curriculum are due in 2028. For primary schools, this will include mandatory citizenship, media, financial and digital literacy, education on sustainability and a greater emphasis on oracy. In 2026, the updated Relationship Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance (link) came into effect. This requires schools to teach health and wellbeing topics that help protect children's physical and mental health,
"The aim of teaching about health and wellbeing is to enable pupils to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to understand the links between physical and mental health, to recognise when things are not right on their own health or the health of others and to seek support when needed."
Schools undoubtedly have a statutory duty to make children aware of factors that influence their mental health, and this should include teaching them the value of periods of quiet and inactivity. Making time to teach about and practise these things will likely pay dividends in encouraging children to build the capacity for creative problem that is required across the curriculum.
