The Beauty of Boredom: How Less Stimulation Can Benefit You

Written By Kim Messervy-Evans

In our fast-paced, screen-filled lives, boredom often gets a bad reputation. We rush to fill empty moments with notifications, streaming, scrolling—anything to avoid the quiet discomfort of doing nothing. But what if boredom isn’t something to be avoided, but embraced? What if it’s not a problem to fix, but a path to creativity, self-reflection, and deeper development, especially in children?

Rediscovering the Role of Boredom

Psychologist Dr. Sandi Mann, author of The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom is Good, defines boredom as a “search for neural stimulation that isn’t satisfied.” When our brains don’t receive new information, they start to turn inward—often sparking creative thoughts, introspection, or daydreaming.

In her research, Mann asked participants to perform dull tasks (like copying numbers from a phone book) and then complete a creative exercise. The bored participants consistently outperformed others in creative thinking. This suggests that mental downtime fosters originality, problem-solving, and new ideas.

Neuroscientist Dr. Jonathan Smallwood also found that daydreaming—often triggered by boredom—activates the “default mode network” in the brain, a system associated with self-reflection, goal-setting, and imagining the future.


Why Boredom Is Essential for Children

For children, boredom is more than just a break from routine. It’s a developmental necessity.

Psychologist Dr. Teresa Belton studied the effects of boredom in childhood and found that children deprived of unstructured time struggled to develop imagination and the ability to be self-directed. Her research, published through the BBC and the University of East Anglia, underscores that creativity often arises not despite boredom, but because of it.

In her interviews, Belton heard from adults who reflected that their most imaginative play and lasting hobbies were born during long stretches of unstructured, “boring” time in childhood.


When We Overstimulate Kids

In today’s world, it’s tempting to constantly entertain or schedule children, from back-to-back activities to endless digital content. But overstimulation can impair the ability to focus, reduce intrinsic motivation, and contribute to anxiety and restlessness. The American Academy of Paediatrics has repeatedly emphasised the value of unstructured playtime, particularly away from screens, for healthy cognitive and emotional development.

Children need boredom in the same way a seed needs stillness to germinate.


How to Welcome Boredom into Our Lives


We don’t need to overhaul our lives or escape to a remote cabin to benefit from boredom. Instead, we can shift our mindset and make small changes that invite quiet into our routines:

  • Schedule unstructured time: Block off hours where nothing is planned, for yourself and your kids.

  • Create screen-free zones: Reserve certain parts of the day (mornings, meals, pre-bedtime) for offline time.

  • Let children “figure it out”: Resist the urge to fill every moment. Boredom may trigger complaints at first—but soon, imagination takes over.

  • Practice doing nothing: Go for a walk without a podcast, sit outside and notice the breeze, let your mind wander.



Books & Resources That Celebrate Boredom and Imagination


In a culture that equates productivity with worth, boredom can feel uncomfortable—even rebellious. But in reality, boredom is a space of possibility. It’s a quiet invitation to slow down, reflect, imagine, and grow. For children, it’s the fertile ground where curiosity blooms. For adults, it’s a chance to reconnect with the self.


By embracing less stimulation and more space, we begin to remember something vital: we are creative beings, not content-consuming machines.



Kim Messervy-Evans
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