11 May, 2009
Boredom is an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in the activities presented to them. The first record of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, in which it appears six times, although the expression
to be a bore had been used in the sense of "to be tiresome or dull" since 1768.
Boredom has been defined as "an unpleasant, transient affective state in which the individual feels a pervasive lack of interest in and difficulty concentrating on the current activity
." Another definition is "“an affective experience associated with cognitive attentional processes.”
These definitions make it clear that boredom arises not from a lack of things to do but from the inability to latch onto any specific activity. Nothing engages us, despite an often profound desire for engagement.
People ranked low on a boredom-proneness scale were found to have better performance in a wide variety of aspects of their lives, including career, education, and autonomy.In a learning environment, a common cause of boredom is lack of understanding; for instance, if one is not following or connecting to the material in a class or lecture, it will usually seem boring. However, the opposite can also be true; something that is too easily understood, simple or transparent, can also be boring. Boredom is often inversely related to learning, and in school it may be a sign that a student is not challenged enough, or too challenged. An activity that is predictable to the students is likely to bore them.
Heehee. The things I'm willing to do to get out of studying for chem spa. :) My next word of the day shall be "procrastination". Stay tuned to Venerated Vocabulary (alliteration!).
7:15 PM
