I’ve been there: sitting in class, eyelids heavy, way past zoned out of what my teacher is saying, telling myself and maybe whispering the the kid sitting next to me that I’m “bored to death in this class”. Could a class THAT boring put you into a state of boredom that would lead to your death? Well, not exactly but being “bored” for large portions of your life can lead to an early death (most likely by heart disease or stroke) than if you are more entertained in life. Bottom line: the more bored you are the more likely you are to die prematurely.

What this theory is based off of is a major scientific study which begin in London in the 1980’s. Over 7,500 civilians ages 33-55 were asked a series of questions about their lives such as how bored they had been at work in the last month and how healthy and physically active they were ( ). Those participants who had said they were bored also said they did not participate in much physical activity and view their health as worse than the other members of the group. Years later in 2009 researchers went through the members of the survey to see which members were still living and which ones had died. The researchers found that those who had been more bored at work were more likely to have died at an early age and in most cases from a fatal heart attack. Scientists think this connection exists because people who are bored are more susceptible to feel in unhappy, unmotivated and thus lead to negative habits such as drinking and drug use. And it is those unhealthy habits that would lead to their early death rather than boredom itself; boredom is just a vessel for these negative or unhealthy behaviors which caused the death of the member of the survey who reported being significantly bored throughout their lives.

While there is not a direct link (direct causation) to boredom and premature death, this study shows that is can be a gateway or a strong link to it; there are other factors however that stem from the condition of being bored. Being bored leads to a series of other behaviors and habits which can be detrimental to your health. Since there have not been multiple trial like this performed in comparison scientists are hesitating to establish that direct link between boredom and death by heart failure. No need to be worried about dying early if you’re bored a few hours a day or a week; it was only those people with “chronic” and consistent boredom on a daily basis that is becomes a lifestyle that should be worried. If we continue to keep our minds entertained boredom will not take our lives earlier than expected.

Resources

http://mentalfloss.com/article/54702/can-you-actually-be-bored-death

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7187812/You-really-can-be-bored-to-death-study-shows.html