In 1902, Albert Einstein applied to become a patent clerk at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property in Bern. Although he would have rather worked as a teacher or lab assistant, the monotonous job turned out to be a vital step in his career. While his body was busy organizing files and mulling over stacks of paperwork, his unstimulated mind was free to wander, leading him to some of his greatest scientific discoveries.
This anecdote, slightly embellished over the course of its retelling, has prompted many a psychologist and neurologist to reconsider the nature and purpose of boredom – an emotional state we rarely pay attention to, not even when we’re bored.
Once thought to be pointless, even harmful, research indicates that being bored could actually have some unexpected benefits.
Long before boredom could be observed in clinical studies, it was being examined by philosophers. Seneca of ancient Rome believed ...
