Our culture considers boredom a dirty word. Many parents shudder when they hear, “I’m bored” and rush to the rescue. Many kids are so busy with activities, texting, and media that they don’t know what it’s like to be bored. Recent brain research, however, could be a wakeup call.
Neuroscientists have discovered that when people are conscious but doing nothing the brain is firing away with increased activity in brain regions responsible for autobiographical memory, imagining the thoughts and feelings of others and thinking about hypothetical events. In other words, boredom unleashes imagination and creativity.
So the idle mind is not really the devil’s workshop after all. It’s the workshop, period.
Tags: boredom, Brain science, parenting