Reasons Why You Are Bored of Life

The way most people define boredom in western culture is when one has nothing to do. It is typically viewed as an unpleasant emotional state during which the individual experiences an unescapable lack of interest or difficulty concentrating on the present activity. Boredom is a universal experience with everyone suffering from it at some point during the course of their lives. According to survey estimates, between 30 to 90 percent American adults are bored of life as are 91 to 98 percent youth. Reportedly, men feel more bored than women and a lack of educational attainment has been closely linked with boredom.

Those who wonder what is boredom need to know it is an indicator of anger, loneliness, sadness and even worry. Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard referred to boredom as the root of all evil, explaining that it is such a compelling force, it urges people to do all kinds of things to comfort the pain. Those who are habitually bored are at a higher risk of alcoholism, addiction and gambling. To understand boredom better, let us take a closer look at the potential reasons you could be bored of life.

1. Monotony in the mind

Boredom is like mental fatigue and it is caused by either repetition or a lack of interest in the details of mundane tasks. Any activity that is predictable has a tendency to get boring. Generally speaking, too little stimulation and too much of the same thing can cause in a person an absence of desire as well as a feeling of entrapment.

2. Lack of flow

Flow or “being in the zone” is the state where you are totally immersed in a task that may be challenging but is still closely matched to your abilities. Flow happens when your skills match the level of challenge presented by your environment and when the task at hand includes clear goals and instant feedback. Tasks that are fairly easy are considered boring while tasks that are perceived as difficult can lead to anxiety.

3. Need for novelty

Some people tend to get more bored than others. Those who have a strong need for excitement, novelty and variety stand a higher risk of boredom. These adrenaline junkies or sensation seekers are likely to complain that the world moves too slowly. Their need for external stimulation may explain why extroverts are more prone to boredom. Novelty-seeking and risk-taking are two ways in which these individuals self-medicate to cure their boredom.

4. Paying attention

Boredom has been linked to problems in paying attention. What can bore us never fully engages our attention. As a matter of fact, it is hard to be interested in something when you cannot concentrate on it. Those who have chronic attention problems like ADHD have a high tendency to feel bored of life.

5. Emotional awareness

If you lack self-awareness, you would be more prone to boredom. A bored person is not able to express what it is that he or she wants to do or desires. They have trouble articulating their thoughts and feelings. The inability to know what will make one joyful can lead to escalated boredom. Not knowing what we are looking for means we don’t have the capacity to pick appropriate goals for engagement with the world.

6. Internal amusement skills

Those who lack the internal resources to deal with boredom inevitably rely on external stimulation. When internal amusement skills are amiss, the external world will always seem like its falling short in providing sufficient novelty and excitement.

7. Lack of autonomy

People tend to get bored when they feel confined. As we see among adolescents, they tend to be very bored at their age. This is because they are no longer children and have ambitions of their own though they are still not old enough to pursue them. They find themselves stuck or constrained as their will cannot be executed, since teenagers are not given much control over what they would like to do.

8. The role of culture

If you think about it, boredom is a modern-day luxury. It literally did not exist until the 18th century and came into being as the Enlightenment gave way to the Industrial Revolution. Earlier on in human history, when our forefathers had to spend their days securing food and shelter, boredom wasn’t an option for anyone.

Boredom however, also has its benefits. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said people of rare sensibility think of boredom as a hindrance to achievement. According to him, boredom could be a catalyst for action – it could provide an opportunity for thought and reflection. It could also be a sign that a certain task is nothing but a waste of time and thus not worth pursuing.