Because of the feelings of restlessness it brings on and because it has at least a vague link to dopamine levels, boredom is often thought of as a negative emotion, but in actuality, it’s far more complicated than that. Some scholars have used the emotion to prove being alive itself isn’t stimulating enough for human beings, and others have used its universal nature to prove no human being, no matter how successful, is ever completely content with the status quo. In the end, it’s probably more of a mixed bag than anything else.
In popular YouTube channel V Sauce’s new video, Michael takes a long hard look at the emotion, and in typical V Sauce fashion, discusses more than a few stories to complicate everything. Apparently, the single most reliable indicator of whether or not addicts will relapse is their levels of boredom. Anyone who watches CBS’ Elementary likely wouldn’t be surprised by that. Watson is constantly talking about keeping Sherlock active in order to keep his thoughts away from using.
The above clip spends time discussing the Boredom Proneness Scale. Users are asked a series of twenty-eight questions about how their mind operates, and those who score over a certain level are deemed easily bored, while those who score under a certain level are deemed the opposite. Of course, a solid majority of people score in the average range, but if you’re interested in seeing where you stand, you can take the quiz here. Fair warning, it does involve some light math.
“Why Do We Get Bored?” was released last night, and it’s already amassed a staggering half million + views. For most channels, that would be a gigantic success, but over at V Sauce, it’s basically par for the course. Michael and company have been churning out critical and fan favorites for years, and it’s not unusual to see some that have attracted more than five million eyeballs.
If you’re bored and looking for something to do, I’ve gone ahead and embedded another classic V Sauce clip below. This particular entry into the canon asks why human beings find things creepy, and it is utterly fascinating. I highly recommend you put down your real work and instead spend the next nine minutes of your life checking it out.
