Abstract:
Being bored is a common daily affective experience that brings varying behavioural and mental health consequences. Some see boredom as an emotion which carries unique functions; others believe it causes evil and is comparable to hell. In this program of research, we investigated how people’s lay beliefs about boredom relate to the ways boredom is experienced and coped with, as well as their relationships with mental well-being. Across eight samples, the role of boredom beliefs was scrutinised using multiple methods, including qualitative interviews, scale development, correlational surveys, and longitudinal studies.

Katy Tam is a Postdoc fellow at the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

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