Boredom – everyone knows and loathes it. While boredom usually has negative connotations, studies suggest that it can have positive effects and lead to productive outbursts in people.
Boredom does not have to be considered a harbinger of bad news. Rather, it shows that our brains are not getting enough stimulation. Even if this feeling of boredom doesn’t feel particularly pleasant at first, it is a good incentive to change the situation. Hence, if we respond productively to feelings of boredom, our brains can find creative ways to escape it. While short-term boredom drives creative solutions, too much or chronic boredom can also become a source of distress.
This article explores the state of boredom in Canada and explains how boredom affects our mental health. It further discusses strategies that can be used in everyday life to combat boredom productively.
A study by Booknet Canada on the leisure habits of the Canadian population has shown that in 2024, 90% of Canadian adults spent their free time watching videos/TV/movies, and 87% spent their free time browsing social media/the web. The majority of the Canadian population, therefore, spends their free time on passive entertainment.
However, when it comes to entertainment options for combating boredom, there are also active alternatives that stimulate the brain rather than encouraging it to switch off. These include creative activities such as painting, crafts, writing, playing music, or strategy games. The study shows that in 2024, 65% of respondents spent their free time engaging in active entertainment such as exercising/working out, or creative activities, such as video games (41%).
In addition to video games, casino games are becoming increasingly popular as leisure activities, as data from Statista shows: Experts estimate that the annual growth rate (CAGR 2025–2030) will be 2.82%. With the rise of online casino gambling, expert Shraddha Sharma lists the top casinos in Canada that are trustworthy, licensed, and pay out winnings in CAD to help consumers navigate the gambling hype.
Boredom is predominantly a problem of the upper and middle classes. Only those who have their basic needs met have time to be bored. The fact that people are getting increasingly bored can therefore be interpreted as a positive sign. Today’s world is characterized by abundance: every conceivable form of passive entertainment can now be accessed at the touch of a button and is available to us 24/7. This has led to many people fearing boredom and springing into action as soon as they feel even a hint of it, or keeping themselves constantly entertained so that boredom cannot arise in the first place.
The barrier-free availability of passive entertainment programs makes us lazy. Evolutionarily, the brain wants to save as much energy as possible to ensure that enough energy is available for hunting, seeking shelter, etc. “Leisure time” is a concept of modern society that never existed in the form we know it today.
In an article by Patient, Dr. Sandi Mann, author of The Science of Boredom, explains the problem modern society is facing. Today, we live in such an abundance of entertainment options that boredom is no longer a natural part of daily life. Dr. Sandi Mann explains that people no longer know what boredom feels like. “We constantly try to swipe and scroll the boredom away. This can actually lead us to feel more bored in the long run, because our tolerance for boredom is lowered.”
Although our entertainment activities can bring us a lot of joy, they also have their downsides: Many people fall into the trap of passive entertainment, where the brain switches to low gear. In the long term, this behavior can have negative effects on the psyche and, in the worst case, even lead to depression.
Excessive boredom and poor coping methods are regarded as contributing factors to the mental state of the Canadian population. A health report by the Canadian Mental Health Association shows that mental health issues have increased in recent years. According to the report, in 2024, Canadians’ mental health was three times worse than it was before 2020.
Boredom arises when our environment offers too few stimuli or when the stimuli available do not match our interests. This can be unpleasant in the short term. If no solutions to the problem are found, boredom can increase the risk of depressive moods, addictive behavior, or social withdrawal in the long term. This is especially true for people who have little social integration or who feel permanently underchallenged.
After a while of boredom, most people spring into action and do something about it. Simple and short-term solutions are the entertainment programs mentioned above, tried-and-tested methods that we all like to revert to. However, the non-stop consumption of passive entertainment can have negative consequences and even increase boredom. Paradoxically, constant sensory overload from social media and endless streams often leads to a form of chronic under-stimulation: we binge-watch and scroll through social media without feeling fulfilled. Therapist Sally Baker explains that it is quite possible to become so bored as to fall into a kind of hypnotic trance. As an example, she cites binge-watching TV shows in a zoned-out state. In addition, negative trains of thought often arise, worsening the mental state.
At the same time, boredom is not inherently bad. Dr Sandi Mann explains that: “When we’re bored, it means our brain is searching for neural stimulation. […] And it’s that search for neural stimulation that leads to the frustration and a lack of satisfaction that we label as boredom.“
While this state of dissatisfaction is not pleasant and people look for a means to escape it, it can also have positive effects: the search for stimulation can lead us to discover new things or become creative. Studies even suggest that periods of low stimulation can promote creative processes. Creative projects such as painting, writing, playing music, or DIY encourage the brain to work in new ways, thereby enhancing well-being. Learning something new, such as a language or a difficult game, also triggers happy hormones through the combination of challenge and progress. Exercise as a result of boredom also has positive effects: even moderate physical activity improves mood and concentration.
Boredom can encourage unfavorable behavior patterns, but it can also lead to greater creativity, self-reflection, and new activities. It is important to keep in mind that we are all in control of our own lives. Those who give in to boredom and fall into binge-watching can also free themselves from it and press the power button on the remote to turn off the TV and pursue a more inspiring activity instead. In times of abundance, boredom can be used as an opportunity to spend your time meaningfully with creative activities. Doing this will lead to a happier life and improved mental health.
Photo: Niklas Hamann, Unsplash
