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More Than Our Story
Embracing Boredom
Table of Contents
Why Doing Nothing May Be Good for Your Brain
There was a time when boredom was just part of everyday life. You waited for buses, sat in doctors’ offices, stood in line at the grocery store, stared out the window during long car rides, or went to bed without a phone nearby. Over time, your mind would wander. Today, such moments are uncommon. When boredom hits, many of us instinctively reach for our phones to browse social media, scroll through videos, check the news, reply to messages, or open various apps.
We have more ways than ever to escape boredom—and we may be becoming less comfortable with it.
What Is Boredom?
Boredom isn’t just about having nothing to do. It’s a state where we struggle to focus, suggesting our attention isn’t properly engaged in activities that match our goals or interests. This distinction is important. While boredom can be uncomfortable, that discomfort isn’t inherently harmful. In fact, it can motivate us to change our behavior, explore new things, or turn inward. The problem occurs when we become conditioned to avoid this discomfort. Instead of accepting boredom, we tend to scroll, consume, stimulate, or distract ourselves with screens. Over time, this pattern can change how we relate to stillness.
Repeated digital behaviors reinforce patterns of attention, reward-seeking, and boredom avoidance.
The Smartphone Has Eliminated Empty Moments
Think about your daily downtime, like waiting for an appointment or for coffee. We often reach for our phones, which offer communication, navigation, learning, and entertainment. But constant stimulation means we rarely have unoccupied minds.
Mind-wandering is a normal part of human cognition. Those moments aren’t necessarily wasted; sometimes they’re where ideas begin.
Boredom and Creativity
Some of our best ideas come when we’re not deliberately trying: in the shower, on a walk, in the car, lying in bed, or looking out the window.
One possibility is that reduced external stimulation gives the mind a chance to connect ideas that might not otherwise link during focused work, suggesting that boredom may have a productive side.
Constantly absorbing information directs our focus outward. When boredom sets in, our attention turns inward, surfacing memories, questions, ideas, and associations.
Boredom creates mental space.
What Is "Digital Dopamine"?
The term “digital dopamine” has become widely popular. You often hear claims that social media “floods the brain with dopamine” or that we should do a “dopamine detox.” However, the true situation is more complex.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in motivation, learning, reward processing, and the anticipation of rewarding experiences. It isn’t inherently “good” or “bad,” and you don’t need to detox from it.
Why Do We Seek It Out?
It feels good.
Digital platforms constantly reward us with notifications, likes, entertaining videos, surprising news, or positive messages, encouraging us to check repeatedly. The issue isn’t that your phone ‘destroys your dopamine,’ but how these surprises reinforce your behavior.
These repeated behaviors can train our attention and reward-seeking habits.
Are We Training Ourselves to Have Shorter Attention Spans?
It’s inaccurate to say social media has destroyed everyone’s attention span because studies vary in their measurements, populations, and outcomes, and that distinction matters.
It doesn’t mean that social media destroys attention spans; rather, problematic social media use and attention issues are linked. The point isn’t that smartphones ruin our brains; our attention is shaped by the environments we choose.
The Boredom and Consumption Cycle
Boredom and digital consumption can become cyclical:
- Boredom encourages digital consumption.
- Digital consumption provides temporary stimulation.
- Constant stimulation may raise our expectations for engagement.
- Ordinary activities can then feel less stimulating.
- Boredom returns.
Why This Matters for Mental Wellness
Boredom isn’t necessarily something we need to eliminate. Learning to tolerate boredom can be good, since constant stimulation can blur the line between wanting and needing.
You don’t need more stimulation; you want it.
Recognizing this is crucial because psychological health isn’t about constant excitement. Quiet moments, reflection, and processing difficult emotions without distraction are necessary.
Sometimes, doing nothing is best.
Boredom Can Be a Form of Mental Recovery
We often think of recovery as something physical. However, just as our muscles require rest after a hard workout, our minds need breaks from constant stimulation. Small periods of low stimulation can create opportunities for reflection and mental decompression.
Relearn the Art of Being Bored
You don’t need a dramatic digital detox; start small.
- Put your phone away while waiting
- Take walks without headphones
- Put your phone down at mealtime
- Turn off unnecessary notifications
- Leave gaps in your day
The Goal Isn't to Escape Technology
Technology isn’t the enemy, social media isn’t harmful, and dopamine isn’t something to fear. The issue arises when stimulation becomes automated.
Filling every moment prevents us from being alone with our thoughts. Boredom, though uncomfortable, isn’t always negative. It can lead to curiosity, creativity, reflection, problem-solving, self-awareness, or rest.
The next time you find yourself waiting in line or riding the train, resist the urge to fill the silence right away: Put your phone away. Look around. Let your mind wander and see what happens when you permit yourself to be bored.
Doing nothing might be one of the most useful things your brain does all day.
RELATED ARTICLE: DIGITAL DETOX
In today’s connected world, it’s essential to identify and disconnect from digital distractions to reclaim our time and focus.
RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED DURING A DIGITAL DETOX CHALLENGE
Aja Chavez shares how to make your digital detox challenge easier to start, stick with, and how to get back on track when you slip.
SOURCES
- NIH, The relationship between social media use and adolescent inattention and impulsivity: A systematic review, February 2026, Rosa Angela Fabio, Giulia Picciotto
- South Florida Psychology Group, Dopamine Detox: Psychological Reset or Myth, February 5, 2026, Dr. Gustavo Beneja
- Journal of Psychiatric Research, The association between problematic social media use and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomatology: A systematic review and meta-analysis, 2025, Ding, J., Liu, Z., & Chao, M.
Daniel
Daniel is an extremely curious person, a wealth of random knowledge and facts. Extremely passionate about a vast array of interests ranging from health to history, science to athletics, everything culinary and the list goes on. Trust us, you would want to be on his team for Trivial Pursuit.
Daniel is also years into his battle with brain cancer. He experienced a seizure while on a Zoom call at work in late 2020 and quite literally, his life changed within minutes. After his operation he started to talk about his story but had always known it was more than just him. From then, More Than Our Story became a PROJECT that has evolved into the starting point it is today.
He has also since become a multiple time IRONMAN.
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