We all get bored at some point. One survey found that the average American adult experiences 131 days of boredom per year. And most of it happens at work. Another study revealed that employees are bored on the job for more than 10 hours per week. But it’s not a bad thing. Scientists say being bored gives our brain a moment to pause, rest and reset. It also creates space to daydream. And that in turn can boost our creativity. Long bouts of boredom could even set us on a different life path, if we end up pondering whether we are adding value to the world or merely wasting our time doing what we do.
Of course, boredom can also lead you to places you might not have gone. And you'll find out things you might not have known before. If you ended up reading this as a result of being bored, your brain could be thanking you in a few minutes' time. We recently came across an Insta page called Facts By Science. It has over 566 thousand followers, and shares super interesting tidbits from around the world.
Keep scrolling for a list of our favorites, and upvote the ones that blew the boredom out of your mind. Don't miss the chat Bored Panda had with media psychologist Dr. Pamela Rutledge about the positives and negatives of using social media to combat boredom.
