Speaking of psychology is taking a holiday break, so we're rerunning one of our favorite

episodes from the past year. Last spring, I talked to University of Florida psychologist Aaron

Westgate about the surprisingly fascinating topic of boredom. What is boredom? Is it always bad to be

bored? What can we do to infuse even these boring times with meaning? As we look toward a long

winter of limited socializing and few distractions, these questions seem as relevant as ever.

I hope you enjoy this episode from our archives. Speaking of psychology, we'll be back with new

episodes starting in January, at which point we will also be going to a weekly schedule.

Thank you for listening.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January.

By March, most of us had been strongly advised, if not ordered, to keep at least six feet away

from other people in public and pretty much to confine ourselves to our homes.

As a result, many of us are unable to visit friends or family.

We can't go out to a movie, to the gym, or out to dinner.

In short, the coronavirus has radically curtailed the way many of us live. So are we bored yet?

And if we are bored, is that a problem? Is boredom bad?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that explores the links between psychology and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

What does psychology tell us about boredom? And why should we care?

Is boredom even a legitimate area for psychologists to study? What can we do during these strange times

to keep from being bored? Or to use our boredom productively? Our guest today is Dr. Aaron Westgate,

an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida, where she studies boredom, interest, and why some thoughts are more engaging than others.

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