Boredom is the root of all evil — or is it? A psychometric network approach to individual differences in behavioral responses to boredom

Functional accounts of boredom propose that boredom serves as an impartial signal to change something about the current situation, which should give rise to adaptive and maladaptive behavior alike. This contrasts with research on boredom proneness, which has overwhelmingly shown associations with maladaptive behavior. To shed light on this discrepancy, we disentangled boredom proneness from individual differences in (1) the urge to avoid and escape boredom and (2) adaptive and maladaptive ways of dealing with boredom. In a high-powered study (N = 636), psychometric network modeling revealed tight associations between boredom proneness and less adaptive and (especially) more maladaptive ways of dealing with boredom. However, its associations with the urge to avoid and escape boredom were rather weak. Importantly, a higher urge to avoid and escape boredom was linked not only to more maladaptive but also to more adaptive ways of dealing with boredom. This pattern of results was robust across various specific behaviors that have previously been linked to boredom. Our findings provide novel evidence for functional accounts of boredom from an individual difference perspective, cautioning against a shallow view of boredom as a purely maladaptive experience.

Preprint: Boredom proneness predicts self-assessed decision errors in sports but is unrelated to risk taking in general

Introduction: Boredom proneness is linked to poor self-regulation, leading to poor decision making and/or increased risk taking. These links have not yet been investigated in the domain of sports and exercise. However, poor decisions or excessive risk behavior would be highly detrimental to sporting performance and, in some cases, even cause physical harm. Here, we address this gap by assessing if boredom proneness is linked to general risk taking, sport-specific risk taking, and to regrets about sports-specific decision errors with respect to acting too risky or too passively.Methods: N = 936 athletes (27.6 ± 9.0 years, 89.6% men) – n = 330 Climbers (31.8 ± 10.7 years, 82.4% men), n = 83 Snowboarders (29.9 ± 8.3 years, 79.5% men), and n = 523 Esports athletes (24.6 ± 6.3 years, 95.8% men) – completed the Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS), along with measures for objective risk taking (Balloon Analogue Risk Task; BART), subjective risk taking (general willingness to take risks), as well as assessments for sport-specific risk taking and regrets for sports-specific decision errors (taking too many risks, failing to act at all). In the two extreme sports samples (Climbers and Snowboarders), we additionally assessed self-selected outcome certainty in a hypothetical sports-specific scenario where an error would result in physical harm.Results: A series of multiple regression analyses revealed that boredom proneness was unrelated to objective and subjective general risk taking, but a significant predictor of sport-specific risk taking and higher risk taking in the sports scenario (Climbers and Snowboarders only). Most importantly, boredom proneness predicted regrets for taking too many risks and being too passive. Exploratory post-hoc analyses further indicated that boredom proneness in extreme sports athletes was lower than in esports athletes. Higher boredom proneness was significantly related to lower skill levels across all kinds of sport.Discussion: Across three athlete samples, boredom proneness was unrelated to general risk taking but significantly related to poorer decision making, as indicated by regrets about acting too risky and too passively, as well as demanding a significantly lower safety threshold to make a risky sports-specific choice. While at odds with the often reported link between boredom proneness and risk taking, these results are consistent with the conceptualization of boredom proneness as a maladaptive self-regulatory disposition that leads to noisy decision making in sports. In addition, we provide preliminary evidence that boredom proneness covaries with self-selection into specific types of sports and might also stand in the way of skill acquisition in sports.

HUBUNGAN ANTARA FAKTOR INDIVIDU DAN KEJENUHAN DENGAN STRES KERJA PADA GURU SEKOLAH DASAR SEDERAJAT

Kejenuhan merupakan salah satu penyebab terjadinya stres kerja. Salah satu pekerjaan yang berisiko mengalami stres kerja adalah guru Sekolah Dasar Sederajat karena memiliki tanggungjawab yang lebih besar dan rutinitas kerja monoton. Stres kerja disebabkan oleh faktor individu yang meliputi jenis kelamin, usia dan masa kerja serta kejenuhan sehingga perlu dilakukan upaya pencegahan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis hubungan antara faktor individu dan kejenuhan dengan stres kerja pada guru Sekolah Dasar Sederajat di Kecamatan Wuluhan, Kabupaten Jember. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik dengan desain cross-sectional. Populasi pada penelitian ini sebanyak 339 guru dengan sampel sebanyak 116 guru. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini merupakan data primer yang didapatkan melalui angket online dengan menggunakan google form. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) untuk mengetahui kejenuhan dan Occupational Stress Inventory Revised (OSI-R) untuk mengetahui stres kerja. Analisis data bivariat dilakukan dengan menggunakan uji Chi-Square. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa jenis kelamin (р-value=0,585) dan masa kerja (р-value=0,203) tidak memiliki hubungan dengan stres kerja. Terdapat hubungan antara usia (р-value=0,049) dengan stres kerja dan tidak terdapat hubungan antara kejenuhan (р-value = 0,602) dengan stres kerja. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, diperoleh kesimpulan bahwa terdapat responden yang mengalami kejenuhan dan stres kerja berat. Saran yang dapat diberikan kepada kepala sekolah adalah untuk melakukan evaluasi berupa sharing terkait hambatan yang dirasakan guru dan melakukan pelatihan untuk menunjang kompetensi yang dimiliki.

The role of individual characteristics and working conditions in understanding boredom at work

PurposeThis study proposes an examination of the psychometric properties of the French version of two boredom scales (i.e. the Dutch Boredom Scale and the Boredom Proneness Scale Short Version), the antecedents of boredom at work, based on an integrative theoretical framework drawing on the Job Demand-Resources model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2017) and the moderating effects of individual characteristics on the relation between contextual antecedents and boredom at work.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on a cross-sectional design with a sample of 363 Swiss workers. First, the two boredom scales were validated through a confirmatory factor analysis. Then, in order to study the relative strength of the predictors of boredom at work, a hierarchical regression model was tested. Finally, the interaction effects between individual characteristics and contextual antecedents of boredom at work were tested.FindingsFactor analyses revealed a unidimensional structure for both instruments. Regression results showed that boredom proneness, job demands, job autonomy and social utility added a significant percentage of incremental variance to the model. Moreover, a significant interaction between contextual and individual characteristics in predicting boredom at work was observed.Practical implicationsOur findings stress the importance of taking into account employees' experiences at work when developing job design interventions to promote well-balanced working conditions for all, as well as targeted solutions for specific populations, in order to adequately address the issue of boredom in the workplace.Originality/valueThis study explores the relatively under-researched topic of boredom at work, known to be detrimental for individuals and organizations. To date, research on its antecedents has been quite fragmented and we particularly contribute to the literature by investigating this aspect.

Getting Trapped in a Dead End? Trait Self-Control and Boredom Are Linked to Goal Adjustment

Disengaging from unattainable goals and reengaging in alternative goals is essential for effective goal pursuit; yet, surprisingly little is known about associated personality factors. Here, we focused on individual differences in self-control (domain-general self-control, if-then planning) and boredom (boredom proneness, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies). Concerning goal adjustment in everyday life (Study 1; N = 323 crowdworkers), if-then planning was associated with worse disengagement and better reengagement. While boredom proneness was associated with poorer reengagement, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies were associated with better reengagement. When goal striving was thwarted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2; N = 97 students), similar associations emerged along with links to anxiety and depression. However, disengagement was no longer associated with if-then planning but instead with better self-control and higher boredom proneness. These results show differential relationships of goal disengagement and reengagement with self-control and boredom, paving the way to a better understanding of who struggles or shines when effective goal adjustment is required.

Perceptions About Flow and Boredom in the Information Technology Profession

This article aims to identify evidence of propensity for boredom and flow states among information technology (IT) professionals. A survey using the boredom proneness scale, Lee job boredom scale, and short flow scale resulted in 175 responses from professionals working in diverse IT activities. The main findings offer empirical evidence on the perception of IT professionals regarding (1) the occurrence of boredom and flow (even simultaneously), (2) highest occurrence of flow and boredom in the public sector, and (3) highest occurrence of boredom among younger IT professionals. This article offers relevant interpretations and contributions for theory and practice as it points out an emergent issue: IT professionals must also learn to deal with the routine and protocols of a maturing profession in order to meet industry standards, which interposes an unusual work situation for these professionals and their managers, since still prevail in the field the notions of a propensity for concentration to enjoy the task of coding and a willingness to face challenges, in a relaxed and funny way.