Bored to Death?
British researchers Annie Britton and Martin J. Shipley reported in the April issue of the Journal of Epidemiology that people may become “bored to death.”
They wrote:
Have you ever felt bored? Even found yourself with nothing engaging to do? Experienced a lack of interest in everything and everyone around you? Although not a pleasant state in which to find oneself, is boredom bad for health? In a rare moment of idleness one day, we pondered whether the expression “bored to death” has any basis. Are people who are bored more likely to die earlier than those who are not?
They concluded:
We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored. However, the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors. Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified (e.g. disease status or position in society), proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles. Finding renewed interest in social and physical activities may alleviate boredom and improve health, thus reducing the risk of being ‘bored to death’.
I believe this is an interesting study for RTs. It certainly suggests the importance of helping clients to engage in interesting leisure pursuits.
They wrote:
Have you ever felt bored? Even found yourself with nothing engaging to do? Experienced a lack of interest in everything and everyone around you? Although not a pleasant state in which to find oneself, is boredom bad for health? In a rare moment of idleness one day, we pondered whether the expression “bored to death” has any basis. Are people who are bored more likely to die earlier than those who are not?
They concluded:
We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored. However, the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors. Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified (e.g. disease status or position in society), proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles. Finding renewed interest in social and physical activities may alleviate boredom and improve health, thus reducing the risk of being ‘bored to death’.
I believe this is an interesting study for RTs. It certainly suggests the importance of helping clients to engage in interesting leisure pursuits.
posted by Hoosier RT | 4:00 PM
1 Comments:
This is interesting.
Sounds like the old saying “bored to death” has some truth to it.
Work at a psychiatric unit for children. Often hear them complain of being bored to death when they have spare time in their rooms. Of course, we have a non-stop schedule of activities from the time the awake until the go to bed. There is very little down time.
Unfortunately, the children aren’t allowed to have many things in their rooms for safety reasons. They can’t have wires – so that eliminates many electronics. Metal or glass toys are prohibited.
Believe there are tons of things the children could do on their own – when they have 15 minutes or less of down time. Attempt to teach children to do some of these things.
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