“Boring is Cool”
The idea of ‘Boring is cool’ is a recent phenomenon that suggests that being uninteresting or mundane is fashionable or desirable. Now that’s the start of everything Desire.
We have all been told at various times that ‘Desire is often the root cause of human actions and decisions.’ It can be a powerful motivator for people to work towards their goals. We have also heard ‘Grass is Greener on the other side’. It suggests that things are better or more “desirable” elsewhere. Now, combine the two, a high motivated individual belting out his Dopamine thrills, looking at a bored person Instgramming cooling his heels of in boredom, there is good likelihood that this individual will seek Boredom as his next Dopamine thrill.
So how does this Incentive- Reward- Motivation Engine called ‘Dopamine’ work. One is Irrational impulsive thrill called as the Dionysian Circuit and the other is rational & long-term thrill called as the Appollonian Circuit. The Greeks and the way they name everything after Gods, yup their Dopa Thrills!
The Dionysian Circuit named after Greek God Dionysus is emotion, motivation and pleasure. Our social media addictions and infinite scrolls algorithms are a classic example of how we are infinite scrolling without reading into details for that one post, one reel or one tweet on twitter, the breaking news (which is mostly negative) triggers our Dionysian circuit of instantaneous dopamine thrills.
What if Boredom is more rational and not within our reach for an infinite scroll. Boredom needs self-control, self-discipline and well a kind of mastery. One is feeling bored, and other is choosing to be bored. The latter needs self-control and a rational decision to stay bored.
So, Boredom is not just within your arm’s length reach to grasp, it is just out of our reach, and hence it’s definitely a Dopamine u will choose at some time in your life. How do we make it rational?
Boredom is important because it can serve as a signal that one’s current activities are not fulfilling or simulating. For some of us it works as a great indication to make that next change. It inspires you to seek out new experiences and opportunities for growth or self- expression. Or sometimes that pause of boredom is enough to solve a problem or trigger your creativity to engage with your current ecosystem rather than seeking a new one. Boredom is positively related to Mental Health unlike the constant chatter in mind.
How does one build Boredom?
Set aside time for Daydreaming (yep the very same thing teachers prevented us from). Explore a new hobby or a sport. Disconnect from technology that gives your Instant, Emotional Dopamine kicks like Instagram or even your work emails. Schedule times where you do NOTHING. Go and enjoy nature walks without an agenda to get healthy, just pure boredom driven walk, which may actually turn out to be more pleasurable (indirectly healthy) than a health-aimed decision to go for a walk.
Building Boredom is not forcing yourself to be Bored, but rather allowing yourself to be bored.
A parallel non-tangential example; in running we are taught to allow yourself to fall forward and that starts of your run posture, instead of consciously leaning forward to get that running posture. Allow yourself that space & time to be unoccupied and be open to whatever thoughts might arise. Feeling bored is different, it may lead you to seek an instant thrill again which asks for More & More on the pretext of boredom. Building Boredom is more like a simulated thrill under the professional guidance of your neurotransmitters ☺ It will lead to controlled pleasures than the addiction to social media/ drugs that leads to addictions you experience momentarily and then seeks out the next Kick!
Boredom sometimes leads to simplicity and minimalism, which is unarguably a beautiful way to lead life and find joy in small things. It helps people appreciate the moment and find new meanings on contentment in their lives. But like my previous blog Be Just Enough, don’t let boredom and simplicity be everything. Life is about finding that balance between your Appollonian circuited rational long-term thrills and Dionysian circuited irrational instant thrills
You can build Boredom as a Here and Now thing too. That needs a lot of mindfulness and becoming aware of our thoughts without dwelling too much into the past or planning for the future. A Here and Now boredom could be heading out for a run or going for quick play with your friends. Why? Coz you are bored! You aren’t going for a competition, or for an instant social gratification reward of meeting friends, but rather, you are bored, you want to take a break and hence stepped out for a game.
Take a break from the constant rush or work or social media dopamine, enjoy little things in life with a Here & Now boredom or a long term build one.