What do we experience boredom we tend to experience it as uncomfortable and agitating?

Seek to banish it with some ready distraction like our smartphone, for example.

Or we try to look at boredom sort of piously as something we should learn to sit with because

it builds character.

My guest today would argue that it's best to see boredom more neutrally, as simply an

important signal that we need to change up what we're doing and become more effective

and engaged in the world.

His name is James Dankirk and he's a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychology,

as well as the co-author of the book Out of My School, The Psychology of Boredom.

We begin our conversation with how boredom has been thought about in history philosophy

and yet largely ignored by psychologists.

We then discuss what it really means to be bored and what types of people are more prone

to boredom.

James explains how boredom is related to our sense of agency and the role constraints plan

increasing it.

We then get into how people's propensity towards boredom changes across the lifespan and at

what ages you're more and less likely to experience boredom.

And we enter conversation with the negative effects of being bored prone, including the

way boredom may increase political extremism.

Then we also talk about the more positive and adaptive ways to deal with being bored,

as well as what to tell your kid when they say, Dad, I'm bored.

Out of the shows over, check out our show notes at aam.islashbordom.

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