Finding Consistency in Boredom by Appreciating its Instability

Caitlin Mills; Kalina Christoff

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2018.07.001

Finding Consistency in Boredom by Appreciating its Instability

Trends Cogn Sci. 2018 Sep;22(9):744-747. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.07.001. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

Authors

Caitlin Mills¹, Kalina Christoff²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 USA. Electronic address: caitlin.mills@unh.edu.
² Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.

PMID: 30060916
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.07.001

Abstract

Boredom has recently piqued cognitive neuroscientific interest, but remains a challenge to scientific investigation in this field. We propose that to advance this research, we should (i) seek greater consistency of operationalization and measurement across studies and participants; and (ii) appreciate the temporal instability of boredom and its ensuing dynamics.

Keywords: boredom; boring tasks; fMRI; mind wandering; temporal dynamics.

MeSH terms

Boredom*
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain / physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Psychological Tests
Research Design
Time Factors