Filed under: Happiness, Health
Monotony and boredom may be somewhat painful to ensure, but they’re not actually bad for you, right? Guess again — recent studies show that boredom can in fact kill you. Researchers at University College London studied 7,000 civil servants for 25 years and found that those who reported high levels of boredom in their life were 40 percent more likely to have passed on at the end of the study than those who found life exciting.
To be fair, it wasn’t the actual boredom that killed them — no life-threatening comas were induced by monotonous jobs or an unstimulating social life. Rather, it was how people dealt with boredom that jeopardized their chances at survival. The researchers concluded that people who were bored were more likely to take up unhealthy habits like smoking, excessive drinking and so on. And in the end, heart disease was the culprit that killed most of the bored participants. “The findings on heart disease show there was sufficient evidence to say there is a link with boredom,” said co-author Martin Shipley.
Worried that your tedious job might kill you? That’s no excuse; “It is important that people who have dull jobs find outside interests to keep boredom at bay, rather than turn to drinking or smoking,” said Shipley. It might sound completely trivial but channeling your energy into something healthy like a hobby or sport could actually save your life.
How do you deal with boredom?