Boredom

fievel@lemm.ee to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world – 20 points –

Thought that if we are so easily bored in our modern society, much more than were our grandparents for example, it's because of technology that simplify all our daily activities. When it was necessary to do the laundry in a basin, it took a lot more time than just pushing on a button to launch the washing machine, then there was no time for boredom. What do you think?

7

I think technology is the culprit in another way. It is not that we have too much time now as technology does all the work for you (also, really? Like, how does your life look like? I hardly have 10 minutes to feel bored, these 10 minutes take away from my very limited sleeping time). To me it seems more like we have gotten so used to filling every spare second with information, scrolling, clicking, googling, playing, texting, interacting, communicating. So much so that we have constant dopamine kicks and just cannot stand one second of being not busy. Everyone is shopping with headphones on, listening to music or a podcast. You're on an escalator? Better pull out your phone. You're cooking or cleaning? Turn up the volume! For real, when was the last time you just raw dogged a chore?

Yeah, this is it - were addicted to distraction.

Boredom is actually a really powerful problem solving motivator (that we're sorely lacking lately, thanks to social cancer and phones etc).

Try spending a few days only using your phone for important phone stuff, not entertainment and see

Nah, boredom comes from society spending so much focus on working a job that most people are too worn down to enjoy a hobby that most of society looks down on. Like people being made fun of for reading books, playing music, painting, and having any kind of hobby that isn't part of a money making hustle is what kills people's interest in most hobbies.

Then there is the scheduling issues due to needing to waste so many hours working and commuting that they are too tired to play in a community sports league or have any kind of regular activity with other people. Heck, people often spent a lot more time doing community get togethers and even just visiting friends regularly compared to today.

Surr, some people are bored because they would have enjoyed those tedious tasks, but for the most part people are discouraged from doing fun things by society.

Who makes fun of people for reading or having creative hobbies? I've literally never experienced that.

Never heard of someone mocking cosplayers or people who playing role playing games, or calling people band nerds, or mocking a community band, or mocking local murals, or complaining about money being spent on public art, or anything like that?

You have been lucky!

Makes sense to me. On a busy day when I have ten minutes to breathe, staring at a wall is wonderful. But, on a lazy Saturday I'm just sooooooo boooooooorred.