Podcast #342: Why Boredom is Good for You | The Art of Manliness

n the age where smartphones provide constant stimulation, many of us have forgotten what it feels like to experience the monotony of boredom. And while on the surface that might seem like a good thing, my guest today highlights research that not being bored can actually make us dumber and less creative.

Her name is Manoush Zomorodi, she’s the host of the podcast Note to Self and the author of the book Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self. Today on the show, Manoush shares her experience of how feeling scattered and less creative led her to create an experiment that tested whether her lack of boredom in recent years was to blame. We then dig into the philosophy of boredom and why we dread it so much. Manoush then goes into what the latest research says about the benefits of boredom, like increased creativity, better productivity, and improved mental well-being. Finally, she walks us through some exercises you can use to help inject more boredom in your life. (Yes, you read that right.)

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[dkennell]

Awesome interview, fantastic guest. I like her on NPR but i like her even more after listening to this.

[waedjradi]

Love it. Boredom is the new cool. Also, it vigorously enhances the attention-span. Which allows you to have mental fortitude, to get things accomplished, in what seems to be in a short period of time. Thanks.

[LunaGer]

And then... people were stuck at home with their phones for 9 months 😬