Without interest, boredom? For some, it’s a meaningless feeling, synonymous with moping around or wasting time. “Boredom is a driver of change”, pleads however the American philosopher Andreas Elpidorou.
“Basically, I think boredom is a feeling of dissatisfaction. We experience it when we are not satisfied with our situation, with what we are doing,” he says in an interview.
A professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Elpidorou has studied the concept of boredom for more than a decade.
It’s almost a cliché to say it: our intolerance to boredom is the fact of our time, characterized by the dictatorship of immediacy and entertainment galore. More and more, some believe that we must relearn how to tame it. Among its many virtues, boredom would stimulate creativity, promote concentration…
Andreas Elpidorou is not from the school of those who think that you have to force boredom. Sometimes, he even wonders if we don’t make a rather too positive portrait of it.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDREAS ELPIDOROU
Andreas Elpidorou, professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
I don’t think people should be bored. I think it’s a useful tool that we have as human beings that lets us know when something is wrong.
Andreas Elpidorou, professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
“In my opinion, the important thing is less to indulge in boredom than to know why we are bored”, adds the author of the essay Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead Us to the Good Life.
Boredom, the evil of our time?
When do you most often feel bored? At the bus stop? In line at the grocery store? Sitting in front of the television, jaded by the abundance of films available on digital platforms?
It sometimes feels like boredom is a contemporary experience. That our ancestors, who survived more than they lived, didn’t have the luxury of twiddling their thumbs. “Some say that boredom as we feel it today started in the 18e or in the XIXe century”, notes Mr. Elpidorou. It was the beginning of industrialization and the emergence of free time – for some, at least.
But the professor does not share this opinion.
I think there is something human and fundamental about finding yourself in a situation that is not very interesting or that does not engage you.
Andreas Elpidorou, professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
At IVe century, Christians who settled in monasteries in order to devote themselves to God spoke ofakedia (“indifference, negligence” in ancient Greek), whose descriptions of the time were akin to boredom as we know it today. “The history of boredom is very rich and I think that supports the idea that it is a feeling that people have had to deal with throughout history,” says Elpidorou.
Admittedly, the concept of boredom has been expressed in different ways over time. I’akedia was supplanted by laziness, one of the seven deadly sins. Later, it will take the name of melancholy, exemplifies the philosopher. “Boredom evolves with society. Today, the pace of life is different. I think there’s a clear shift in what triggers boredom and how we deal with boredom,” he says.
A problem as much as an opportunity
Many perceive boredom as a waste of time, but this impression is slowly changing, notes Andreas Elpidorou. According to him, an individual becomes bored when he “wants to engage with the world, but does not succeed”. This seemingly pointless state of weariness happens for a reason, he insists. It generally reflects a feeling of dissatisfaction or dissatisfaction related to his situation, such as his couple or his job.
How an individual responds to boredom will depend on their circumstances and resources, Mr. Elpidorou said.
Imagine someone who works 8 to 10 hours in a job that is unrewarding. Once back home, he needs an outlet. He may want to sit still, drink. He may not be creative or use his time proactively.
Andreas Elpidorou, professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
When your situation allows it, you have to ask yourself questions about what boredom is trying to tell us, insists the professor. Conversely, looking for an escape in social media, as many people do, can only postpone the problem.
Through the fault of technologies, the philosopher fears that we lose part of our ability to “commit to or find the meaning of a situation” by ourselves. Boredom is the “perception of a crisis of meaning”, says Andreas Elpidorou. “He forces you to find meaning. So it’s a problem, but it’s also an opportunity. »