'Get bored: Boredom sparks creativity'
Discover how embracing boredom can enhance creativity and mental clarity.
So, if you want to get creative, you need to get bored.
Kumar Bagrodia, neuroscientist and founder of NeuroLeap, an applied neuroscience company, explained that boredom can inspire creativity and is associated with cognitive benefits.
During an interview with India Today, he said that taking a 15-minute break can help enhance creativity and connectivity by allowing the brain to switch from focused attention to a resting state. While it’s not easy, it really aids in bringing clarity.
SCIENCE CONNECTS BOREDOM AND CREATIVITY?
Most people typically have several tabs open in their hectic, loud, and chaotic lives. However, neuroscientists claim there are benefits to doing nothing.
People have eureka moments when they are doing nothing, like while taking a shower or aimlessly strolling. The reason for this is that during quiet but wakeful moments like daydreaming or recalling a memory, our DNM (Default Mode Network), a network of interconnected brain regions, becomes active.
There are extensive studies on the DMN, and research has found a lot about its functions in human cognition and workings of the human brain.
A Harvard Medicine article quotes a neuroscientist, Susan Greenfield, saying that “a tree in the park didn’t ask you to climb it, and a drawing pad didn’t ask you to draw on it – you weren’t bored because you made up a story,” explaining how boredom provides a driving force or a stimulus for a person to develop a narrative.
“We've lost the art of being,” explained Bagrodia, “we have got ourselves to believe that the way to success is just by doing."
This results in overstimulation and a persistent state of anxiety. Anxiety problems are on the rise in India. A 2020 study found 40.5% of the respondents reported either anxiety or depression.
HOW TO EMBRACE THE BREAK
During the day, we are constantly multitasking – scrolling, watching, reading or listening. And we cannot get over it. So, instinctively, taking a break is not easy.
According to Bagrodia, “You’ll feel restless, almost uncomfortable. But you need to take a 15-minute boredom break in order to improve creativity and connectedness.”
“Sit in a chair, eyes open. No staring, no focusing, and don’t practise breathwork. You just have to be,” he added.
While doing this, you're not allowed to use your phone or fidget around, and do not sleep.
“One should create pockets of this boredom, allow yourself to drift into that state during the day and suddenly a lot of thoughts will become clearer," but the central idea is that “you don't have to work on the problem."
Bagrodia said, “Try it at different times – morning, after a workout, when you’re tired – and you’ll start understanding your mind.”
GEN-Z TURNS BOREDOM INTO A TREND
'Doing nothing' is a new online challenge, and Gen Z is obsessed with it. This trend is most popular for travellers taking long flights.
Instagram users constantly post videos talking about the art of flying and doing nothing to set the nervous system – without phones, movies, music, books, food, water, Wi-Fi or any sort of distractions.
Rowan, a self-described productivity influencer, is a well-known influencer of this trend. He claims he is doing this to fix his attention span and mentioned in one of his posts, "After 20 days, I feel much more reflective in general. I’m more aware of what’s going around me, and I think more deeply.”
So, if you want to get creative, you need to get bored.
Kumar Bagrodia, neuroscientist and founder of NeuroLeap, an applied neuroscience company, explained that boredom can inspire creativity and is associated with cognitive benefits.
During an interview with India Today, he said that taking a 15-minute break can help enhance creativity and connectivity by allowing the brain to switch from focused attention to a resting state. While it’s not easy, it really aids in bringing clarity.
SCIENCE CONNECTS BOREDOM AND CREATIVITY?
Most people typically have several tabs open in their hectic, loud, and chaotic lives. However, neuroscientists claim there are benefits to doing nothing.
People have eureka moments when they are doing nothing, like while taking a shower or aimlessly strolling. The reason for this is that during quiet but wakeful moments like daydreaming or recalling a memory, our DNM (Default Mode Network), a network of interconnected brain regions, becomes active.
There are extensive studies on the DMN, and research has found a lot about its functions in human cognition and workings of the human brain.
A Harvard Medicine article quotes a neuroscientist, Susan Greenfield, saying that “a tree in the park didn’t ask you to climb it, and a drawing pad didn’t ask you to draw on it – you weren’t bored because you made up a story,” explaining how boredom provides a driving force or a stimulus for a person to develop a narrative.
“We've lost the art of being,” explained Bagrodia, “we have got ourselves to believe that the way to success is just by doing."
This results in overstimulation and a persistent state of anxiety. Anxiety problems are on the rise in India. A 2020 study found 40.5% of the respondents reported either anxiety or depression.
HOW TO EMBRACE THE BREAK
During the day, we are constantly multitasking – scrolling, watching, reading or listening. And we cannot get over it. So, instinctively, taking a break is not easy.
According to Bagrodia, “You’ll feel restless, almost uncomfortable. But you need to take a 15-minute boredom break in order to improve creativity and connectedness.”
“Sit in a chair, eyes open. No staring, no focusing, and don’t practise breathwork. You just have to be,” he added.
While doing this, you're not allowed to use your phone or fidget around, and do not sleep.
“One should create pockets of this boredom, allow yourself to drift into that state during the day and suddenly a lot of thoughts will become clearer," but the central idea is that “you don't have to work on the problem."
Bagrodia said, “Try it at different times – morning, after a workout, when you’re tired – and you’ll start understanding your mind.”
GEN-Z TURNS BOREDOM INTO A TREND
'Doing nothing' is a new online challenge, and Gen Z is obsessed with it. This trend is most popular for travellers taking long flights.
Instagram users constantly post videos talking about the art of flying and doing nothing to set the nervous system – without phones, movies, music, books, food, water, Wi-Fi or any sort of distractions.
Rowan, a self-described productivity influencer, is a well-known influencer of this trend. He claims he is doing this to fix his attention span and mentioned in one of his posts, "After 20 days, I feel much more reflective in general. I’m more aware of what’s going around me, and I think more deeply.”
