• Researchers found that boredom can indeed be problematic. Those who get bored quickly are more likely to be depressed and anxious, tend to be aggressive and see life as less meaningful.
• But researchers also found a much brighter side of boredom. Boredom encourages a search for meaning in life, it increases exploration and inspires novelty seeking. Boredom enables people to reconsider what they are currently doing in favour of more rewarding alternatives.

Thus, it seems that boredom helps regulate our behaviour and stops us from getting stuck in unrewarding situations.

Charles Dickens popularised the term boredom in 1853. Boredom became particularly popular in English Victorian writing in describing the life of the upper class, where boredom was indicating a privileged social standing.

In the second part of the 19th century and the early...