10/04/2017

This is How Boredom Can Make You Brilliant

A new book argues that we need boredom in order to spur creativity

In a world where entertainment is just a smartphone away, you’re constantly connected and you never have to be bored. There will always be some new app to tap through, a social media post to like, or a notification to read. But a new book is arguing that we lose key moments for creativity, reflection, and growth when we don’t let our minds space out and wander away from technology.

Manoush Zomorodi, the host and managing editor of WNYC’s Note to Self podcast, is arguing in her new book “Bored and Brilliant,” that we need monotony to be great. She uses her own life as an example, noting that the last great idea she had to host a podcast came when she was bored and “pushing that damn stroller” in the early months of motherhood. 

Talking to neuroscientists, Zomorodi learned that there’s a scientific reason why her brain was most creative when she was bored. When we’re bored and doing humdrum administrative tasks, our body goes into autopilot mode and that’s where our brain’s synapses start firing in new ways.

Please click here to read the complete article from Ladders.