What the mysterious boredom divide teaches us

Psychologists differ in their definition of boredom.

• In the 1960s and 1970s, boredom was defined as the feeling generated by a repetitive task. Researchers found that boredom increased alertness to the things happening around you (distractions).
• From 1986, the opposite was found. A study found that boredom caused less concentration.

Psychologists now know there are at least five types of boredom.

• Calibrating boredom: You have wandering thoughts and a feeling of not knowing what to do.
• Reactive boredom: You feel aggressive towards your detainer - a teacher or the workplace - and dwell on the things you would rather be doing.
• Searching boredom: You feel restless and search for a way out.
• Indifferent boredom: You feel relaxed and separate from the world around you.
• Apathetic boredom: You feel neither good nor bad, but helpless to avoid the feeling.

The boredom signal is telling you that you are failing to interact with the world. The negative emotion is trying to motivate you. We really want to be cognitively engaged.

Only some people allow themselves to become bored. They recognise that sense of restlessness and find a way to turn things around.

• Bored people are more susceptible to impulsive behaviour, substance abuse, gambling addiction, compulsive mobile phone use, depression, etc.
• Boredom also seems to be linked to many personality disorders, such as covert narcissism. These people think they are incredibly talented, but feel they are not given credit for it. Other personality traits linked to boredom include anger and neuroticism.
• Altogether, being prone to boredom may be partly caused by having poor emotional control.