I was brushing my teeth one morning when I was suddenly gripped by the urge to check my phone.
asserted
I → brush → phone
Later that day, while waiting in line at Tim Hortons, I noticed myself once again drawn to stare at the palm-sized screen, reflexively rooting for hits of digital dopamine on Reddit.
asserted
myself → wait → Reddit
And I wondered, when did I start feeling the need to fill any period of mental dead air, no matter how short, with stimulation?
asserted
I → wonder → stimulation
As a people, we are becoming more bored than ever before.
asserted
we → become → people
We live in an age where endless distraction is a tap and swipe away, but studies suggest boredom is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially among younger people.
asserted
boredom → live → people
Ironically, it appears our efforts to avoid boredom by engaging in digital stimulation are only making us more bored overall.
asserted
us → appear → stimulation
The life and health consequences of chronic boredom are wide ranging.
asserted
consequences → range → boredom
It has been associated with mood and anxiety disorders — which have surged in recent years — as well as increased substance use, poor academic or work performance and a reduced sense of meaning or purpose.
asserted
which → associate → meaning
Some experts say the solution to this collective listlessness is to reframe boredom from something to avoid to an opportunity to find what’s truly meaningful.
asserted
what → say → opportunity
“Boredom is neither good nor bad — it’s just a signal,” said James Danckert, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Waterloo and author of a book on the psychology of boredom.
asserted
Danckert → ’ → boredom
“It’s a signal of want, it’s a signal of desire that you want to be engaged.
asserted
you → ’ → desire
What makes it good or bad is what you do with it.
asserted
you → make → it
How your phone is making you more bored
A number of studies in recent years have revealed a concerning rise in boredom among young people.
asserted
number → make → people
And a recent meta-analysis of 59 different papers found that people prone to boredom are also more likely to report problematic social media usage.
asserted
people → find → usage
“When we are seeking stimulation from digital media … it’s like an endless chase of something that is unattainable,” said Katy Tam, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who has spent her career studying boredom and its implications.
asserted
who → seek → boredom
In a 2024 paper, Tam proposed a causal relationship between the two — that consuming digital media is directly making us more bored.
asserted
us → propose → media
In bombarding our brains with high-stimulation content, we’re raising our baseline tolerance for engagement, making the minutiae of daily life more boring in comparison, her paper suggested.
uncertain
paper → bombard → comparison
In another 2024 study, which included over 1,200 post-secondary students from Canada and the U.S., Tam found that swiping through or fast-forwarding videos to relieve boredom, which her team called “digital switching,” can actually increase boredom.
asserted
called → include → boredom
“When people are switching, they’re not actually paying attention to what they’re watching right now,” Tam said.
asserted
Tam → switch → what
“And this kind of disengagement actually makes them feel more bored.”
It comes back to our desire for meaning and agency.
asserted
It → make → meaning
“Most of what we do on social media and our phones is passive,” said Danckert.
asserted
Danckert → say → media
“You’re not making decisions about what you’re taking in; you’re letting the algorithm make the decisions for you.”
asserted
algorithm → make → you
Simply put, boredom is a state of yearning for activities we find fulfilling.
asserted
we → put → activities
While distracting ourselves with a screen might take our minds off that for a while, it does little to bring meaning into our lives, Danckert said.
uncertain
Danckert → distract → lives
When we put the phone down, that void remains unfilled.
asserted
void → put → phone
Experts share advice on how parents can best support kids as they navigate back-to-school season — or even refuse to go.
asserted
they → share → season
Experts share advice on how parents can best support kids as they navigate back-to-school season — or even refuse to go.
asserted
they → share → season
The brunt of this vicious cycle of boredom is felt by the youngest generations, many of whom have grown up with the internet and social media.
asserted
many → feel → internet
It has some psychologists worried for their future development.
asserted
psychologists → have → development
”(The internet has become) a digital babysitter in many cases,” said Todd Cunningham, an assistant professor of applied psychology and human development at U of T.
asserted
Cunningham → become → U
“The kids come home, the kids are bored, and we’re very busy so we give them a screen
asserted
we → come → screen
In past decades, when kids were bored, they were encouraged to explore outside, play with friends and learn new skills or hobbies, Cunningham said.
asserted
Cunningham → bore → skills
These important activities have been replaced by screen time, and as a result, “kids are just not socializing the same way.
asserted
kids → replace → result
For children too often absorbed in screens, “it is impacting their self-regulation,” Cunningham said.
asserted
Cunningham → absorb → regulation
“As kids get older, it’s harder to have sustained attention on a task.
asserted
it → get → task
With how easy it is to go on YouTube and watch a video, it’s hard for us to keep kids engaged in the activities that they’re doing.”
asserted
they → go → that
The topic has been well-documented.
asserted
topic → document → ?
A paper published in August found early-childhood exposure to social media to be linked to difficulties with sustained attention or focusing on a task, as well as certain social and emotional challenges.
asserted
exposure → publish → task
Why boredom can be good for you
There are “absolutely” benefits to small periods of boredom, said Abby Goldstein, chair of the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
asserted
Goldstein → be → Education
“For a lot of people, boredom opens up opportunities to engage in more creative thinking, to use imagination.
asserted
boredom → open → imagination
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
