Boredom and the quest for novelty

When one feels disconnected from one’s routine activities, boredom signals need for change

Of all the eternal realities humans confront, recognise and exploit, the temporal nature of humankind’s existence exerts one of the greatest impacts on shaping the contour of their lives. The fleeting nature of physical existence on Earth warrants that they make the best of it. This reality has prompted in them a sense of constructive utility of their priceless time through passionate investment in fulfilling activities and experiences. However, the charm of activities we invest our time in often fails to sustain itself for long and ultimately turns into boredom for us.

As a pervasive human experience, boredom implies a lack of mental engagement and connection resulting from activities or experiences’ inability to stimulate interest or appeal, or the beholder’s lack of appreciation for the charm. Though the time span of engagement varies for each person and activity, the resultant sense of disengagement either keeps one disinterested for a prolonged period or drives one to break the monotony of routine by reengaging with the same or experiencing relatively newer activities. The latter underlines another, yet connected, facet of life — the inherent quest for novelty.

However, before delving into the dynamics of novelty, it’s pertinent to elaborate on the challenges and opportunities that boredom often accompanies. As a complex emotional response, boredom is often viewed with contempt and equated with idleness or inactivity. However, as we experience and observe, boredom is not necessarily the outcome of our inactivity; it is experienced even in our busy schedules. Therefore, regardless of one’s activities, boredom is a likelihood in most instances and for most of us.

When one feels disconnected from one’s routine activities, boredom signals a need for change and prompts the instinctive drive to seek new stimuli and experiences in them. This way, boredom pushes one to break free from monotony and encourages one to explore unexplored material and mental experiences. Moreover, it also affords one the opportunity to pause for a while, contemplating the things that really matter.

Why do individuals lose appeal to the acts, people and experiences they cherished in the past? The answer lies among many factors in the inherent human quest for novelty. Novelty involves getting oneself introduced to relatively new ideas, things or situations — different from routine encounters. As an antidote to boredom, the quest for novelty sparks excitement, curiosity and exploration. A sense of novelty and the ultimate escape from boredom can also be achieved by rethinking perspectives vis-à-vis routine interactions.

The quest for novelty acts in two ways: first, by pushing one towards boredom as an underlying cause; and second, by pulling for novelty as the remedy for boredom. Nevertheless, experiencing novelty in one’s routine interactions and activities isn’t as easy as getting bored. In other words, the inherent fear of embracing novelty often compels one to keep on experiencing the inertia of boredom. Also, when we realise that we feel bored with patterns, situations or people, we choose to sustain the same for fear of unpredictability that might welcome our changed situation or mental state. However, there are some routines, individuals and experiences that one can’t escape for good reason. Family, good friends, and the activities that passionately keep engaging in and attending to the beholders, for instance, are the ones with low or little likelihood of boredom.

The pursuit of novelty is closely linked to the unavoidable monotony that can accompany routine, preventing the onset of boredom. Regardless of the engagement’s nature, familiarity cultivates a sense of monotony, prompting a natural yearning for newer experiences. This temporal aspect highlights the delicate equilibrium between routine and the craving for fresh experiences. Navigating this delicate balance is crucial for individuals to sustain a sense of fulfillment in their activities over time.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2024.

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