The
Boredom Proneness Scale† is the best-known of the various
metrics for quantifying one’s propensity to
ennui. High-scorers who are ‘understretched, unmotivated and
bored in the world of work in the 21
st century’ may in danger of ‘
boreout’
[PDF]. While
boredom needn’t be perceived in an exclusively negative light (one might imagine a
perfect boredom akin to the notion of
dolce far niente), ‘
boredom [PDF] and
boredom proneness […] have been linked to a long list of negative outcomes in adults, including, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and loneliness […], impulsiveness […], elevated rates of alcohol dependence […], negative affect […], pathological gambling […] and higher rates of psychopathology in general.’ Historians of
boredom have noted the relatively recent
advent [NY TIMES] of the term, coinciding with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, but our more distant ancestors were not free of the related
afflictions [PDF] of
horror loci, tædium vitæ, acedia,
mal du siècle, etc.
[more inside]
posted by misteraitch
on Feb 13, 2013 -
40 comments
Proust is a way for you and your family to share and preserve your stories, one question at a time.
The site takes its name from the
Proust Questionnaire. Stories can be viewed in several different ways and be set as private or
public.
posted by unliteral
on Jul 19, 2011 -
17 comments
Joseph Brodsky:
In Praise of Boredom -- from his
Dartmouth College commencement address in 1995. " Boredom is your window on the properties of time that one tends to ignore to
the likely peril of one's mental equilibrium. It is your window on time's
infinity. Once this window opens, don't try to shut it; on the contrary, throw
it wide open. For boredom speaks the language of time, and it teaches you the
most valuable lesson of your life: the lesson of your utter insignificance. It
is valuable to you, as well as to those you are to rub shoulders with. "You are
finite," time tells you in the voice of boredom, "and whatever you do is, from
my point of view, futile."
posted by vronsky
on Aug 20, 2009 -
38 comments
Pen spinning is very cool. Have a look at
Pentrix, with
guides to help you learn,
videos of some very nice looking variations,
basic tricks and
combinations. A word of warning though, trying these things in an open environment may well annoy your fellow humans; but this may be the
only distraction for the bored and restricted office worker.
posted by ed\26h
on Jul 2, 2004 -
16 comments
Killing Time Shamelessly. How to kill time before leaving your job. This article explains how to fill the endless hours of tedium that make up many working days, with suggestions that include breaking into secure areas of your firm, writing a novel with the contents of your inbox and even...God forbid...doing your job
Guess what? MeFi made the list of sites to browse shamelessly...
posted by bloated_guts
on May 11, 2001 -
14 comments
