The Necessity of Boredom: Stepping away from your distractions and letting your mind wander is good for your well-being

The convenience of having a smartphone has all but eliminated the previously common phrase, “I’m bored.”

It isn’t that people no longer experience boredom; they simply have an easy, if not lazy way to fill that downtime.

Waiting in a long line at the coffee shop? Grab your phone and start scrolling through emails or surf the web.

On the bus, train or cab? Take out your phone.

Have 10 minutes to kill before class begins? “Words With Friends” is calling.

This isn’t necessarily a good thing. Scrolling through our phone may temporarily ease boredom, but some human behaviorists, philosophers and psychologists say it is important to put the phone down and take a respite from life’s distractions.

Constantly bombarding the brain with information, sounds and visuals may not be the best recipe for good mental health, according to vocational rehabilitation counselor Melissa S. Kaekel. In fact, the opposite is likely true.

“Boredom is actually necessary for a healthy brain,” Kaekel said. “Periods of rest with no information or distraction allow the brain to relax from processing data, which reduces stress.

“During boredom, the mind is able to drift from thought to thought without agenda, which can lead to sparks of creativity and problem solving.”

Texas-based licensed professional counselor Kara Nassour is a strong proponent of occasionally “doing nothing.”

“In the same way our bodies need physical rest, our brains need mental rest,” Nassour says. “Doing nothing gives us time to process what we’ve experienced, without any pressure or responsibility to react.

“It also teaches us about ourselves: By sitting with our thoughts and feelings, we get a better understanding of what those thoughts and feelings are, as well as what we believe, what we want and what we need to do to achieve it.”

Harvard-educated well-being expert and author Bracha Goetz believes “unplugging” and putting down the phone can help one better experience gratitude.

“Pausing gives you the chance to experience gratitude, and from gratitude joy blossoms,” Goetz says. “If you want to fill up on more joy in life, slow down to savor life. Each moment we spend in gratitude is a moment we are not spending thinking about what we are lacking.”

Productivity expert Jennifer Jank notes the human brain evolved and developed just fine in the pre-smartphone and pre-social media era.

“The human brain didn’t develop in an age of constant distractions, so it’s not healthy for our brains to be constantly overloaded with notifications,” she said. “Anyone who wants to be productive needs to turn off notifications so they can focus, and also give themselves time to be bored so that they can be creative.”

Naturopathic doctor Lynn Anderson acknowledges it can be difficult to separate ourselves from our electronic devices, but says doing nothing is sometimes exactly what we need to recharge our bodies and minds.

“The detrimental effect of constant stimulation is an increase in stress levels, which we know can lead to many health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes,” Anderson says. “Muscle soreness, backaches and body tension are also byproducts of constant overstimulation.”

Fitness Equipped founder Deniz Efe agrees that overexposure to social media and smartphone usage can be harmful.

“There is a lot to be said for just doing nothing,” Efe said. “Shutting out all distractions and being alone with one’s thoughts is essential to our well-being.

“We might think we’re bored, but what we’re feeling is anxiety. Boredom is good for us as it allows us to daydream, plan and think creatively. It’s when we’re bored that we come up with our best ideas.”

Boredom also allows our brains to “reset and refresh,” according to Eric Rodriguez, the cofounder and CEO of health and wellness website innerbody.com.

“The brain is a lot like a computer,” Rodriguez says. “If you ever used your computer for a long period of time with multiple tabs open, the computer tends to struggle a little bit, getting slower and overheating. Our brains are very similar, and when we are constantly looking at social media, watching TV and playing games our brains can become overloaded with information, and this causes brain fog and burnout.”

Rodriguez says boredom can help rid the brain of the stress of constantly processing information.

Overstimulation can cause our minds and bodies to crash, according to neuropsychologist Alexander Burgemeester.

“We need to be away from devices and other items that keep us super busy in order to have a proper balance,” Burgemeester said. “Limiting screen time and turning off notifications can be helpful for this.”

What isn’t helpful is too much of something, especially social media, according to Efe. Constantly scrolling through sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can lead one to feel less than ideal.

“There can be detrimental effects to constant sensory stimulation and obsession with social media,” he said. “Too much of anything can be bad for you. Constant exposure to bright lights, loud noises and a bombardment of information can lead to sensory overload. This can cause problems such as headaches, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and even depression.

“An obsession with social media can lead to comparisons and envy as people can become fixated on getting likes, comments and followers, leading to a decreased sense of self-worth.”

Efe urges people to remember social media is not reality and provides a distorted perspective of life.

“People only post the best parts of their lives,” he said. “Comparing yourself to others will only lead to unhappiness. Be mindful of how much you’re exposed to and how much time you spend on social media because social media obsession has been linked to lower self-esteem and higher rates of anxiety and depression.

“Moderation is the key.”