The boredom of the Coronavirus 2.0 blockade has “serious” effects, but it can have a positive side

Unless you are a frontline worker, chances are, in addition to the fear and anxiety that the coronavirus has brought with it, you will have experienced long periods of intense boredom this year that could be dangerous to your health.

Doctor Sandi Mann, a psychologist specializing in its harmful effects, defines it as “an unsatisfied research of neural stimulation” and today warns of the “serious repercussions” it can have on our health if it becomes chronic “.

The physical effects

Research shows that boredom can actually shorten your life expectancy.

A study conducted in the 1980s on civil servants aged 35 to 55 showed that those most prone to it were 30% more likely to die within three years, particularly from cardiovascular disease.

“We can literally get bored to death,” says Dr. Mann. “We don’t know exactly what it means to be bored which could lead to death from cardiovascular causes.

“However, what we do know is that when people are bored they look for ways to ‘strain’ and many of the things they do to alleviate it are unhealthy. Boredom is also stressful. “

The people most prone to boredom are often those who constantly crave excitement to escape from everyday life, such as alcohol and drugs.

A South African study showed that boredom was the key to alcohol, cigarettes and cannabis use among teenagers.

It is also an important factor in the relapse of post-rehabilitation addiction. Catching up addicts with too much time to think will often start to make their substance abuse fascinating because it seemed fun in comparison.

Boredom during this pandemic definitely seems to have pushed us to drink more. A UK alcohol change survey found that more than a quarter of participants increased their intake in bulk.

And about the same number in a British Nutrition Foundation study admitted that they ate more comfort food, with nearly two-thirds blaming boredom.

Because boredom leads to negativity

It has been found that many of us prefer to feel pain rather than suffer the monotony of it.

In a study where people were left in a room for 15 minutes, with nothing but a button they could press to give themselves an electric shock, two-thirds of men and a quarter of women chose to try it just for something to do.

“We’d rather do anything than get bored,” says Dr. Mann. “Even if it means getting an electric shock. It is a very intolerable experience and people would rather have an unpleasant urge to relieve it than have to face it. “

While this seems like an extreme reaction, it is more understandable once we realize that boredom can exacerbate negative thinking, leading to depression and anxiety.

“This means that those who feel disengaged from any satisfying activity can often find their mental health on a downward spiral as a result.”

Boredom is also thought to cause anger and aggression.

And a study published last year showed that people more prone to this risk took more risks when it came to finances, ethics, hobbies, health and safety. This is because boredom can make us more likely to indulge in risky behaviors as a way to seek excitement and create that buzz of adrenaline that is missing in their lives.

“When we are bored we look for neural stimulation,” explains Dr. Mann.

“We can get the stimulation we’re looking for through novelty or from shots of dopamine, the brain chemical associated with reward.

“Dopamine is highly addictive and we get it from eating fatty, sugary foods or even from the thrill of shopping and buying new things.

“And these dopamine shots can lead to addictions.”

How to take advantage of it

Despite the negative impact that boredom can have on our lives, boredom has a positive side.

It is a necessary emotion because it can provide much-needed respite from the constant stimulation that surrounds us.

It pushes us to be curious and find alternative ways to escape any monotony in our life. This can mean looking for a new job or just making some positive changes in your life. Additionally, research has shown that people who believe their actions are meaningless can often be motivated to engage in meaningful behavior, making them more selfless, approachable, and charitable.

For example, they would be more likely to donate blood or donate to charity. “We are so scared of boredom that we will do everything to avoid it and the problem is that if we get rid of boredom, we also get rid of its benefits,” says Dr. Mann.

“My research has shown that bored people are very creative and if we lose boredom we are losing that creativity. We saw this a lot during the pandemic. We have seen all kinds of incredibly creative solutions to problems that have arisen because we have had that time to stop and think.

“I think it’s very important to reap the benefits of boredom by stopping trying to get rid of it.

“Let your mind wander and let that feeling of boredom overwhelm you so that you have nothing else to do.

“That’s when we daydream and that’s when we can actually be our most creative.”

The science of boredom:

The upside (and downside) of

Dr Sandi Mann (£ 9.99, Little Brown) is out now.