What is boredom proneness? A comparison of three characterizations

"I Am Easily Bored." Analysis of a Single Item Measure of Boredom

Measuring a variety of human characteristics in large databases has been invaluable for applied (e.g., epidemiology) and basic research (e.g., brain imaging). The sheer volume of data being collected can place high demands on participants. This raises the challenge of how to maximize the reliability of measures while minimizing the burden on participants. We examined the viability of a single item to measure trait boredom proneness by having participants respond to the question "I am easily bored." Results indicated that this single item effectively captures relations typically observed when using longer state and trait boredom measures. Psychological network analyses suggested that the item accords well with models of trait boredom as a failure to launch. We discuss potential contexts in which deploying a single item of this kind may prove advantageous.

People are increasingly bored in our digital age

In an era where entertainment is effortlessly at our fingertips, one would assume that people are less bored than ever. Yet, reports of boredom are higher now than compared to the past. This rising trend is concerning because chronic boredom can undermine well-being, learning, and behaviour. Understanding why this is happening is crucial to prevent further negative impacts. In this Perspective, we explore one possible reason-digital media use makes people more bored. We propose that digital media increases boredom through dividing attention, elevating desired level of engagement, reducing sense of meaning, heightening opportunity costs, and serving as an ineffective boredom coping strategy.

Tiredness of Life - Conceptualizing a Complex Phenomenon

A phenomenon referred to as 'tiredness of life' or 'weariness of life' appears in current discussions on the legitimacy of euthanasia for relatively healthy older adults as well as in research on suicidality more broadly. However, a consensus conceptualization of the phenomenon is lacking. In the current paper, we offer such a conceptualization by reviewing and integrating knowledge from terminology, available descriptions, and first qualitative findings. Boredom with life, aversion towards life, meaninglessness, and fatigue are identified as central components of the phenomenon. Per component, we describe how the component was identified, our definition of the component and its foundation in descriptions in the literature, and empirical studies on how the component relates to euthanasia requests and suicidality. Moreover, hypotheses on the structure of the phenomenon are outlined, such as on interactions among and the importance of the different components.

From Good Citizens to Bad Apples? The Effect of Boredom Proneness: A Moral Licensing Perspective

Although boredom proneness has been well-studied, there is still an ongoing scholarly debate about whether boredom can move individuals to act counterproductively or productively. Drawing from a moral licensing perspective, this study empirically investigates how boredom proneness influences interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB), moral meaningfulness, and interpersonal deviance over time. Utilizing a total of 328 three-wave panel data obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period, we find the following results. First, individuals with a higher initial level of boredom proneness demonstrate a higher initial level of ICB. Second, as boredom proneness increases at a faster rate, ICB increases at a faster rate over time. Third, individuals with a higher initial level of ICB report a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness. Finally, individuals with a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness exhibit a higher initial level of interpersonal deviance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Trait Boredom as a Lack of Agency: A Theoretical Model and a New Assessment Tool

Trait boredom plays a significant role in well-being. However, this construct suffers from conceptual ambiguity and measurement problems. The aim of this study was to propose a comprehensive theory and a strong assessment tool to address these limitations. We defined trait boredom as the frequent experience of state boredom resulting from a chronic lack of agency. We developed a six-item self-report scale of the tendency to often experience boredom. Results confirmed a uni-dimensional scale with strong psychometric properties, including adequate internal consistency (ω = .84-.93), interindividual stability (69.04% of variance accounted by a trait factor), and acceptable model fit (CFI = .977-.998, TLI = .962-.997, RMSEA = .025-.090, SRMR = .014-.029). Results confirmed the validity of the scale by showing its associations with related measures. Our findings provide clarity on trait boredom and a strong, new measure to be used in future work.

Disentangling boredom from depression using the phenomenology and content of involuntary autobiographical memories

Recurrent involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) are memories retrieved unintentionally and repetitively. We examined whether the phenomenology and content of recurrent IAMs could differentiate boredom and depression, both of which are characterized by affective dysregulation and spontaneous thought. Participants (n = 2484) described their most frequent IAM and rated its phenomenological properties (e.g., valence). Structural topic modeling, a method of unsupervised machine learning, identified coherent content within the described memories. Boredom proneness was positively correlated with depressive symptoms, and both boredom proneness and depressive symptoms were correlated with more negative recurrent IAMs. Boredom proneness predicted less vivid recurrent IAMs, whereas depressive symptoms predicted more vivid, negative, and emotionally intense ones. Memory content also diverged: topics such as relationship conflicts were positively predicted by depressive symptoms, but negatively predicted by boredom proneness. Phenomenology and content in recurrent IAMs can effectively disambiguate boredom proneness from depressive symptoms in a large sample of undergraduate students from a racially diverse university.

Exploring EEG resting state as a function of boredom proneness in pre-adolescents and adolescents

Boredom is a prominent experience commonly reported in school settings and associated with poor academic achievement. Little is known, however, about the age-related trajectory of boredom. Here we examined self-reported ratings of boredom in a cross-sectional sample of 8 to 15-year olds (n = 185) as a function of resting state EEG. Results indicated that reports of boredom in school rose as a function of age. Resting state EEG showed a decrease in theta power with age perhaps reflective of increased control. While no effects were evident in beta and alpha bands, we did observe an interaction between boredom and age for frontal asymmetry such that for those higher in boredom, the asymmetry increased with age. Finally, for theta to beta ratios there were main effects of age (i.e., a decrease in theta/beta ratio with age) and boredom such that those higher in boredom had higher theta/beta ratios over frontal and central brain areas. The results are discussed in the context of prior work on school-related boredom and provide several important avenues for further research.

Examining the Association Between Boredom Proneness and Bedtime Procrastination Among Chinese College Students: A Sequential Mediation Model with Mobile Phone Addiction and Negative Emotions

Purpose

The phenomenon of bedtime procrastination has become very common in China in recent years, especially among college students, and it can have numerous negative implications for both physical and mental health. However, the impacting factors and possible underlying mechanisms of bedtime procrastination have not yet been fully clarified. The present study aims to explore the relationship between boredom proneness and bedtime procrastination in Chinese college students, and propose a multiple mediation model to further explore the mediating effects of mobile phone addiction and negative emotions in this link.

Participants and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 668 Chinese college students aged 18 to 32 years old (M=20.36 years [SD=1.69]; 35.03% male). A series of self-rating questionnaires measuring degrees of boredom proneness, mobile phone addiction, bedtime procrastination, as well as negative emotions (depression, anxiety and stress) were administered.

Results

The results showed that boredom proneness, mobile phone addiction, negative emotions and bedtime procrastination were significantly and positively correlated with each other in college students. Mobile phone addiction and negative emotions separately played partial mediating roles in the relationship between boredom proneness and bedtime procrastination. Furthermore, a sequential mediation pathway was significant whereby boredom proneness predicted mobile phone addiction, which was associated with higher levels of negative emotions, which were then associated with more bedtime procrastination behaviors.

Conclusion

The present findings indicate that both mobile phone addiction and negative emotions are important risk-enhancing mediators in the association between boredom proneness and bedtime procrastination in Chinese college students. Therefore, intervention management that concentrating on reducing mobile phone addiction as well as improving negative emotions may be useful for decreasing bedtime procrastination among college students.

Bored with boredom? Trait boredom predicts internet addiction through the mediating role of attentional bias toward social networks

Internet addiction is an emerging issue, impacting people's psychosocial functioning and well-being. However, the prevalence and the mechanisms underlying internet misuse are largely unknown. As with other behavioral addiction disorders, the increase and persistence of internet addiction may be favored by negative affect such as boredom. In this study, we examined the role of boredom susceptibility, as a personality trait, in predicting the risk of internet addiction. Furthermore, we analyzed the attentional mechanisms that may exacerbate dysfunctional internet behaviors. Specifically, we assessed the mediating role of attentional bias toward social media cues on the relation between boredom susceptibility and internet addiction. Sixty-nine young adults were administered a dot-probe task assessing internet-related attentional bias (AB) and questionnaires measuring internet addiction (IAT) and boredom susceptibility (BS-BSSS). Correlation and t-test analyses confirmed that the tendency to experience boredom and selective attention toward social network information was related to internet addiction. Furthermore, the mediation model indicated that AB fully explains the link between BS-BSSS and IAT. The study highlighted the crucial role of selective attentional processing behind internet addiction. The current results are useful for both researchers and clinicians as they suggest that intervention programs for internet addiction should include strategies to cope with dysfunctional cognitive processes.

Sensation seeking predicts risky driving behavior: The mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation

The purpose of this study was to explore the mediating effect of difficulties in emotion regulation on the relationship between sensation seeking and driving behavior based on the dual-process model of aberrant driving behavior. A sample of 299 drivers in China completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Driver Behavior Questionnaire, and the Sensation Seeking Scale V (SSS). The relationships among sensation seeking, difficulties in emotion regulation, and driving behavior were investigated using pathway analysis. The results showed that (1) disinhibition and boredom susceptibility are positively and significantly related to difficulties in emotion regulation and risky driving behaviors; (2) difficulties in emotion regulation are positively and significantly associated with risky driving behaviors; (3) difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the effect of sensation seeking on driving behaviors, supporting the dual-process model of driving behavior; and (4) professional drivers score higher in terms of difficulties in emotion regulation and risky driving behaviors than nonprofessional drivers. The findings of this study could provide valuable insights into the selection of suitable drivers and the development of certain programs that benefit road safety.

The role of boredom proneness and self-control in the association between anxiety and smartphone addiction among college students: a multiple mediation model

Background

Smartphone addiction has been found to be a widespread public health issue, especially among youth. Previous studies reported a significant association between anxiety and smartphone addiction, but the underlying mechanism in this relationship is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating roles of boredom proneness and self-control in the relationship between anxiety and smartphone addiction.

Methods

Self-reported measures of anxiety, boredom proneness, self-control and smartphone addiction were administered to 1,526 Chinese college students.

Results

Smartphone addiction scores varied between 10 and 60 with an average of 30.89 ± 10.57 points. Anxiety had a direct and positive effect on smartphone addiction (effect = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.11-0.25), and an indirect effect on smartphone addiction through boredom proneness (effect = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.06-0.15) and self-control (effect = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.13-0.20). Boredom proneness and self-control sequentially mediated the relationship between anxiety and smartphone addiction (effect = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.10-0.15).

Conclusion

Anxiety is positively associated with smartphone addiction, and boredom proneness and self-control are important mediators in this relationship. Strengthening self-control and mitigating boredom could prevent smartphone addiction in anxious college students.

Life Events, Boredom Proneness and Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis Based on Latent Growth Modeling (LGM)

Purpose

Mobile phone addiction has motivated a widespread concern in recent years. From a developmental perspective, this study explored the predictive relations between life events, boredom proneness (BP), and mobile phone addiction tendency (MPAT) among undergraduate students. It also tested the longitudinal mediation of BP between life events and MPAT.

Methods

Five hundred and eighty-four undergraduate students completed the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, and the Boredom Proneness Scale-Short Form. A longitudinal mediation analysis based on latent growth modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships among life events, BP and MPAT.

Results

Latent growth modeling (LGM) showed that the BP and MPAT of undergraduate students both increased linearly. A longitudinal model based on LGM showed that negative life events both directly and indirectly affected the initial level and the growth rate of the MPAT through the mediating effect of the initial level of BP.

Conclusion

These results reveal that negative life events are an indicator of the development of MPAT. It has practical implications for calling for adopting health coping styles when facing negative life events. Supported for reducing college students' boredom proneness in order to lessen the tendency towards mobile phone addiction to improve their mental health.

In search of boredom: beyond a functional account

Boredom has been characterized as a crisis of meaning, a failure of attention, and a call to action. Yet as a self-regulatory signal writ-large, we are still left with the question of what makes any given boredom episode meaningless, disengaging, or a prompt to act. We propose that boredom is an affective signal that we have deviated from an optimal ('Goldilocks') zone of cognitive engagement. Such deviations may be due to a perceived lack of meaning, arise as a consequence of struggles we are experiencing in attending to a task, or be interpreted as a blunt call to find something different to engage with. Thus, the key to understanding boredom lies in its role in keeping us cognitively engaged.

Satisfaction and performance of software developers during enforced work from home in the COVID-19 pandemic

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the daily lives of software engineers were heavily disrupted as they were abruptly forced to work remotely from home. To better understand and contrast typical working days in this new reality with work in pre-pandemic times, we conducted one exploratory (N = 192) and one confirmatory study (N = 290) with software engineers recruited remotely. Specifically, we build on self-determination theory to evaluate whether and how specific activities are associated with software engineers' satisfaction and productivity. To explore the subject domain, we first ran a two-wave longitudinal study. We found that the time software engineers spent on specific activities (e.g., coding, bugfixing, helping others) while working from home was similar to pre-pandemic times. Also, the amount of time developers spent on each activity was unrelated to their general well-being, perceived productivity, and other variables such as basic needs. Our confirmatory study found that activity-specific variables (e.g., how much autonomy software engineers had during coding) do predict activity satisfaction and productivity but not by activity-independent variables such as general resilience or a good work-life balance. Interestingly, we found that satisfaction and autonomy were significantly higher when software engineers were helping others and lower when they were bugfixing. Finally, we discuss implications for software engineers, management, and researchers. In particular, active company policies to support developers' need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence appear particularly effective in a WFH context.

Whatever will bore, will bore: The mere anticipation of boredom exacerbates its occurrence in lectures

BACKGROUND

Academic boredom is ubiquitous, and it leads to a range of adverse learning outcomes. Given that students often make estimates of how boring lectures are, does anticipating a lecture to be boring shape their actual experience of boredom?

AIMS

The current research investigated whether anticipated boredom intensifies subsequent boredom felt in lectures.

SAMPLES

We recruited undergraduate students to participate in three studies.

METHODS

Study 1 (N = 121) and study 2 (N = 130) were conducted in natural university lecture environments. We found that students who anticipated a lecture to bore them more subsequently felt more bored by it. In study 3 (N = 92), we experimentally manipulated anticipated boredom before participants watched a lecture video. We found that those who were led to anticipate higher levels of boredom felt more bored by the video.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Results converged to indicate that the mere expectation that a lecture will be boring may be sufficient to exacerbate its subsequent occurrence. We discuss these findings in the contexts of affective forecasting and education.

A longitudinal approach to understanding boredom during pandemics: The predictive roles of trauma and emotion dysregulation

Research during the COVID-19 pandemic and prior outbreaks suggest that boredom is linked to poor compliance with critical lifesaving social distancing and quarantine guidelines, as well as to numerous mental health difficulties. As such, continued understanding on what contributes to boredom is imperative. Extending beyond the roles of constraint, monotony, and trait dispositions (e.g., individual differences in boredom propensity), and informed by prior theories on the emotional contributors of boredom, the current longitudinal study examined the predictive role of "pandemic trauma" on people's boredom, with a focus on how emotion dysregulation mediates this relationship. Community participants (N = 345) completed questionnaires three times across an average of 3 1/2 weeks, rating their pandemic trauma, emotion dysregulation, and boredom over the past week each time. Pandemic trauma was assessed with items querying exposure to coronavirus, as well as the financial, resource-related, and interpersonal pandemic stressors that participants experienced. Emotion dysregulation was assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Boredom was assessed with the short-form Multidimensional State Boredom Scale. The results of a theory-informed mediation model showed that participants' pandemic trauma at Time 1 positively and modestly predicted their boredom at Time 3 and that this relationship was partially and moderately mediated by participants' lack of emotional clarity and difficulties with engaging in goal-directed behaviors at Time 2. When people experience pandemic-related trauma, they subsequently struggle to understand their feelings and engage in goal-oriented actions, and, in turn, feel more bored. Theoretical and clinical implications as related to the emotional underpinnings of boredom are discussed.

Subjective Impact of Age-Related Hearing Loss Is Worse for Those Who Routinely Experience Boredom and Failures of Attention

OBJECTIVES

Despite extensive evidence supporting the benefits of hearing treatments for individuals affected by hearing loss, many leave their hearing issues unaddressed. This underscores the need to better understand the individual factors influencing decision-making regarding hearing loss treatments. One consideration regarding the low uptake of treatment is the finding that the subjective impact of hearing loss is greater for some individuals than for others, yielding a significant discrepancy between subjective measures of hearing loss (e.g., self-report hearing-handicap scales) and objective audiometric assessments (e.g., audiograms). The current study seeks to elucidate some of the cognitive-affective factors that give rise to these individual differences in the subjective impact of hearing loss. Specifically, we hypothesized that a stronger trait tendency to experience boredom would be correlated with more intensely negative experiences of hearing-related issues, and that this relationship would be mediated by underlying attentional difficulties.

METHODS

Through a partnership with hearing care clinics (Connect Hearing Canada), we recruited a large sample of older adults (n = 1840) through their network of hearing-care clinics. Audiometric thresholds provided an objective measure of hearing ability for each participant, while self-report questionnaires assessed individual differences in the subjective impact of hearing-related issues (hearing handicap), subjective strain experienced when listening (listening effort), tendency to experience boredom, tendency to experience difficulty maintaining task-focused attention (mind-wandering), and self-perceived level of cognitive functioning.

RESULTS

The subjective impact of hearing loss-both in terms of hearing handicap and strain when listening-was found to be more intensely negative for those who are characteristically more susceptible to experiencing boredom, and this relationship was shown to be mediated by self-reported differences in the ability to maintain task-focused attention. This relationship between trait boredom proneness and the subjective impact of hearing-related issues was evident across all levels of objective hearing abilities. Moreover, there was no evidence that the subjective impact of hearing loss is worse for those who routinely experience boredom because of objectively-poorer hearing abilities in those individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

A greater trait susceptibility to experiencing boredom was associated with a more aversive subjective experience of hearing loss, and this relationship is mediated by attentional difficulties. This is a novel discovery regarding the cognitive-affective factors that are linked to individual differences in the effect that hearing loss has on individuals' daily functioning. These results may be helpful for better understanding the determinants of hearing-rehabilitation decisions and how to improve the uptake of treatments for hearing loss. The observational nature of the current study restricts us from drawing any definitive conclusions about the casual directions among the factors being investigated. Further research is therefore needed to establish how individual differences in the characteristic tendency to experience boredom are related to attentional-control difficulties and the experience of hearing-related issues. More research is also required to determine how all of these factors may influence decisions regarding hearing-loss treatments.

Boredom in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The past two and half years have been witness to an extraordinary global pandemic with obvious and devastating health outcomes [...].

The Boredom Prone Personality: A Multitrait-Multimethod Approach

The present investigation reports the convergent and discriminant validity coefficients for two versions of Farmer and Sundberg's (Journal of Personality Assessment, 50(1), 4-17, 1986) boredom proneness scale. Boredom proneness, a trait that refers to an enduring tendency to disengage from the environment, has been neglected by the field of psychology despite its theoretical relevance to performance and psychological well-being. This report sought: (a) to validate a shortened 8-item version of the original Boredom Proneness Scale published by Struk et al. (Assessment, 24(3), 346-359, 2017) and (b) to extensively examine the boredom proneness construct that the long and short versions of this scale assess. We employed a multitrait-multimethod approach that assessed a large number of theorized effects simultaneously. We replicated dozens of theorized and/or previously observed boredom proneness correlates (convergent validity) as well as many theorized null effects (discriminant validity). The overall pattern of significant and null effect sizes provided compelling evidence that the original boredom proneness scale as well as the 8 items that constitute the shorter version are valid measures of one's susceptibility to boredom. We propose that boredom proneness might be an underappreciated yet important theoretical moderator of Person X Situation effects.

Boredom is the root of all evil-or is it? A psychometric network approach to individual differences in behavioural responses to boredom

Functional accounts of boredom propose that boredom serves as an impartial signal to change something about the current situation, which should give rise to adaptive and maladaptive behaviour alike. This seemingly contrasts with research on boredom proneness, which has overwhelmingly shown associations with maladaptive behaviour. To shed light on this discrepancy, we disentangled boredom proneness from individual differences in (i) the urge to avoid and escape boredom and (ii) adaptive and maladaptive ways of dealing with boredom by developing corresponding trait scales. In a study with N = 636 participants, psychometric network modelling revealed tight associations between boredom proneness and less adaptive and (especially) more maladaptive ways of dealing with boredom. However, its associations with the urge to avoid and escape boredom were rather weak. Importantly, a higher urge to avoid and escape boredom was linked not only to more maladaptive but also to more adaptive ways of dealing with boredom. This pattern of results was robust across various specific behaviours that have previously been linked to boredom. Our findings provide novel evidence for functional accounts of boredom from an individual difference perspective, cautioning against a shallow view of boredom as being associated with purely maladaptive behaviour.

State Boredom Partially Accounts for Gender Differences in Novel Lexicon Learning

Gender plays an important role in various aspects of second language acquisition, including lexicon learning. Many studies have suggested that compared to males, females are less likely to experience boredom, one of the frequently experienced deactivating negative emotions that may impair language learning. However, the contribution of boredom to gender-related differences in lexicon learning remains unclear. To address this question, here we conducted two experiments with a large sample of over 1,000 college students to explore the relationships between gender differences in boredom and lexicon learning. In Experiment 1, a cohort of 527 participants (238 males) completed the trait and state boredom scales as well as a novel lexicon learning task without awareness of the testing process. In Experiment 2, an independent cohort of 506 participants (228 males) completed the same novel lexicon learning task with prior knowledge of the testing procedure. Results from both experiments consistently showed significant differences between female and male participants in the rate of forgetting words and the state boredom scores, with female participants performing better than male participants. Furthermore, differences in state boredom scores partially explained differences in the rate of forgetting words between female and male participants. These findings demonstrate a novel contribution of state boredom to gender differences in lexicon learning, which provides new insights into better language-learning ability in females.

The Struggle to Entertain Yourself: Consequences of the Internal Stimulation Factor of Boredom Proneness during Pandemic Lockdown

Boredom is a ubiquitous human experience that most people try to avoid feeling. People who are prone to boredom experience negative consequences. This study examined the impact of individual differences in the ability to entertain the self (the internal stimulation factor) on boredom experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States. The internal and external stimulation factors predicted greater boredom frequency, boredom duration, and boredom intensity, each of which reflected a different aspect of emotional experience. The relationship among these factors was complex. A serial mediation analysis indicated the internal stimulation factor predicted the frequency of boredom, which in turn predicted the duration of boredom, which predicted boredom intensity. This pattern of relationships is potentially unique to boredom among emotional experiences. These findings provide insight into how boredom functions during a period in which daily activities and coping resources that would normally be available became severely limited.

Boredom belief moderates the mental health impact of boredom among young people: Correlational and multi-wave longitudinal evidence gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

Young people's experience of boredom and its psychological health sequelae have been exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. The present study examined the moderating role of boredom beliefs—the extent to which one affectively dislikes boredom (boredom dislike) and cognitively accepts it (boredom normalcy)—on the association between boredom experience and mental well‐being. We also validated a new measure of boredom beliefs in two different samples of young people.

Method

We report data from a correlational study with British young people aged 12–25 (Study 1; N = 2495) and a 16‐week eight‐wave within‐subject study with Israeli adolescents aged 12–18 (Study 2; N = 314).

Results

Across both studies, disliking boredom was associated with higher frequency and intensity of boredom. Boredom dislike moderated the negative association between boredom and mental well‐being, such that the association was more salient among those who strongly disliked boredom. Normalizing boredom was positively associated with mental well‐being. The measure of boredom beliefs demonstrated fair validity and reliability.

Conclusion

Results provide novel insights into the potential buffering effect of boredom beliefs against the mental health impact of boredom, particularly at a time of reduced activity. These findings generalize across two different countries.

Boredom Proneness and Rule-Breaking: A Persistent Relation One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic

Research conducted within the first year of the pandemic demonstrated that boredom prone individuals were more likely to break rules (e.g., social distancing) aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is of interest whether this relation persisted deeper into the pandemic, given that initial results may have reflected the extraordinary nature of the early stages of the pandemic on one hand, or more stable dispositions on the other. Therefore, in the Summer of 2021, we administered an online survey to investigate whether boredom proneness predicted COVID-19 rule-breaking over one year into the pandemic (and approximately one year after the earlier studies). We found that boredom prone individuals remained more likely to engage in COVID-19 rule-breaking. Our results suggest that a trait disposition towards boredom exerts a persistent, long-term influence on behaviour, one that is detrimental to personal well-being during the pandemic. Adherence to public health measures might be improved by encouraging individuals to find adaptive ways of coping with boredom.

I’ll Do It – After One More Scroll: The Effects of Boredom Proneness, Self-Control, and Impulsivity on Online Procrastination

Procrastination is a common phenomenon. With the increasing ubiquity of new media, research has started to investigate the ways in which these technologies are used as alternatives to task engagement. This paper extends the literature by examining procrastinatory uses of social media, instant messaging, and online shopping with respect to boredom proneness, self-control, and impulsivity among German and Turkish samples. Regression analyses revealed that boredom proneness, self-control, and the perseverance facet of impulsivity are especially significant predictors of online procrastination in both samples. The results between the two studies differ in terms of impulsivity. The findings of this paper highlight the thus far understudied role of boredom proneness and various aspects of impulsivity in online procrastination, and demonstrate that social media procrastination, instant messaging procrastination, and shopping procrastination tendencies likely have distinct underlying mechanisms.

Getting trapped in a dead end? Trait self-control and boredom are linked to goal adjustment

Disengaging from unattainable goals and reengaging in alternative goals is essential for effective goal pursuit; yet, surprisingly little is known about associated personality factors. Here, we focused on individual differences in self-control (domain-general self-control, if–then planning) and boredom (boredom proneness, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies). Concerning goal adjustment in everyday life (Study 1; N = 323 crowdworkers), if–then planning was associated with worse disengagement and better reengagement. While boredom proneness was associated with poorer reengagement, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies were associated with better reengagement. When goal striving was thwarted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2; N = 97 students), similar associations emerged along with links to anxiety and depression. However, disengagement was no longer associated with if–then planning but instead with better self-control and higher boredom proneness. These results show differential relationships of goal disengagement and reengagement with self-control and boredom, paving the way to a better understanding of who struggles or shines when effective goal adjustment is required.

Relationships Between Physical Activity, Boredom Proneness, and Subjective Well-Being Among U.K. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This investigation sought to examine physical activity (PA) as a potential determinant of chronic boredom and associated well-being within the context of COVID-related restrictions. A representative sample of U.K. adults (N = 1,521) completed a survey on June 1, 2020. Bivariate analyses demonstrated that individuals who met guidelines and maintained or increased PA scored higher on life satisfaction, worthwhileness, and happiness and lower on anxiety (i.e., indicators of well-being) and boredom proneness (d = 0.13-0.43). Boredom proneness was correlated with all indicators of well-being (r = .38-.54). A series of regression models revealed that PA predicted lower boredom proneness and better life satisfaction, worthwhileness, and happiness. Boredom proneness accounted for the covariance between PA and well-being. Prospective research is needed to confirm causality of the observed relationships.

A single item measure of self-control – validation and location in a nomological network of self-control, boredom, and if-then planning