{"id":9707,"date":"2008-08-07T09:49:19","date_gmt":"2008-08-07T14:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/08\/07\/in-praise-of-boredom\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:23","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:23","slug":"in-praise-of-boredom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/08\/07\/in-praise-of-boredom\/","title":{"rendered":"in praise of boredom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/ethicalesq\/LJpumpkins.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/msgreader2448.jpg\" \/><\/a> . . <strong><em>I<\/em><\/strong>t&#8217;s summer time and parents around the globe keep hearing the same refrain: &#8220;<em>I&#8217;m bored!<\/em>&#8221;   Cranky <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/prof-yabuts-favorites\">Prof. Yabut<\/a>&#8216;s usual reply is &#8220;Only boring people get bored,&#8221; but he really means &#8220;Only boring people <em>stay<\/em> bored.&#8221;  If you&#8217;d like to have a more constructive response the next time your kids, co-workers, or students complain about being bored, just point them to Tuesday&#8217;s <em>New York Times<\/em> article &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2008\/08\/05\/health\/research\/05mind.html?em\">You&#8217;re Checked Out, but Your Brain Is Tuned In<\/a>&#8221; (<em>New York Times<\/em>, by Benedict Carey, August 5, 2008).  It tells of new conclusions that boredom should be<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;<em>recognized as a legitimate human emotion that can be central to learning and creativity<\/em>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The article makes several additional un-boring points: <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/images.jpg\" height=\"71\" width=\"71\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Boredom as Spam Filter<\/em>:  When we feel bored, our brain has concluded &#8220;there is nothing new or useful it can learn from an environment, a person, an event, a paragraph.&#8221; But, &#8220;boredom is more than a mere flagging of interest or a precursor to mischief. Some experts say that people tune things out for good reasons, and that over time boredom becomes a tool for sorting information \u2014 an increasingly sensitive spam filter.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><em>Often Productive and Creative<\/em>: &#8220;In various fields including neuroscience and education, research suggests that falling into a numbed trance allows the brain to recast the outside world in ways that can be productive and creative at least as often as they are disruptive.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The 95% Solution<\/em>: As a constant reaction to one&#8217;s environment, boredom seems related to depression, but:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Boredom as a temporary state . . . is far from a passive neural shrug. Using brain-imaging technology, neuroscientists have found that the brain is highly active when disengaged, consuming only about 5 percent less energy in its resting &#8216;default state&#8217; than when involved in routine tasks. . .&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefreedictionary.com\/clock+watcher\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/images-1.jpg\" \/><\/a> Somehow, that slight reduction in brain activity &#8220;can make a big difference in terms of time perception. The seconds usually seem to pass more slowly.&#8221;   Of course, those slower moments don&#8217;t produce a meditative calm or bliss.  Instead, &#8220;They are frustrated, <em>restless moments . . . that demands relief <\/em>\u2014 if not from a catnap or a conversation, then from some mental game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>A sigh from her<br \/>\nthen one from me \u2014<br \/>\ntwo pages turn<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>.. by <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/george-swede-archive-part-ii\/\">George Swede<\/a> &#8211; <em>Frogpond<\/em> XX\/2<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sad to say, the <em>Times<\/em> article doesn&#8217;t help us figure out how to scratch that boredom itch.  We get only a professorial dodge from Dr. Teresa Belton, co-author of the featured study: \u201cWhen the external and internal conditions are right, boredom offers a person the opportunity for a constructive response.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>NOELs<\/em>: nod-off episodes per lecture<\/strong> . . <font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/ethicalesq\/PointerDudeneg.jpg\" alt=\"pointer dude neg\" \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Speaking of professors, the classroom experience &#8212; from grammar to graduate school &#8212; has certainly been the inspiration for a large share of our species&#8217; boredom moments.  According to the <em>NYT<\/em> piece, a Canadian study of doctors attending lectures on dementia &#8220;found that in an hour-long lecture attended by about 100 doctors, an average of 16 audience members nodded off. &#8221;  The results are, to be honest, rather boring &#8212; not exactly a break-through in understanding the dynamics of tuning out:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The investigators analyzed the presentations themselves and found that a monotonous tone was most strongly associated with &#8216;nod-off episodes per lecture (NOELs),&#8217; followed by the sight of a tweed jacket on the lecturer.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When you&#8217;re moping around the house and are overwhelmed by the tedium of life, you need to learn to direct your energy into constructive, creative activities &#8212; or, to discover the intrinsic meaning of common-place moments.  And, if you&#8217;re having a serious attack of ennui while part of a captive audience (as in school, church or court, or at a conference or theater), you need to learn techniques for either 1) staying tuned in (in case there&#8217;s a test or Judgment later) or 2) <em>appearing<\/em> engaged and actively listening (out of respect for the speaker or the authority figure who made you attend).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.northstarliverpool.co.uk\/image_gallery.asp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/baby_im_bored.jpg\" height=\"79\" width=\"78\" \/><\/a> For instance, how <em>do <\/em>you control the drool-while-napping-reflex or wipe that daydream smile off your face?  And, just how much caffeine is needed to overcome a particular professor&#8217;s pedantic droning?   If all those studies on boredom contain answers, I hope the <em>New York Times<\/em> will do some follow-up and let us know.  Meanwhile, I&#8217;m hoping our regular audience &#8212; comprised mostly of experienced ex-law students (who somehow survived three very tedious years) and accomplished haiku poets (who live to turn the mundane into insightful moments) will leave helpful suggestions in our Comment box.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><em>B<\/em>y the way, I <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bartleby.com\/61\/22\/E0152200.html\">just learned<\/a> that the word &#8220;ennui&#8221; came from a Latin phrase meaning &#8220;I hate or dislike,&#8221; and which the French turned into a verb meaning &#8220;to annoy, bore.&#8221; Since those Frenchmen <em>really<\/em> hate being bored, they&#8217;ve probably developed the best antidotes to ennui.  French lawyers and haijin are, therefore, particularly urged to add Comments below.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>. .  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.boredatworkforum.com\/bored_man.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/bored_man.jpg\" height=\"80\" width=\"89\" \/><\/a> . . For relief from boredom now or at a future date, you can always head over to the websites of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.madkane.com\/\">&#8220;Mad&#8221; Kane<\/a>. In a pinch, there&#8217;s also the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.boredatworkforum.com\/\">Bored At Work Forum<\/a> &#8211; and its <a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/boredatworkforum-20\">store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If it&#8217;s Opera that puts you to sleep or causes you audience agita, the <em>f\/k\/a<\/em> Gang suggests you study Mad Kane&#8217;s &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.madkane.com\/opera_humor.html\">Guide for the Opera Impaired<\/a>,&#8221; which just won Recovering Lawyer Kane the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.madkane.com\/madness\/2008\/07\/31\/bob-newhart-names-mad-kane-winner-of-2008-robert-benchley-society-award-for-humor\/\">First Prize<\/a> in the 2008 Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor Contest.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If like me, you&#8217;re already bored with this topic (and your Mama isn&#8217;t around to tell you to go outside to play), might I suggest a few topical haiku or senryu?<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>dozing off\u2013<br \/>\nthe soft drone<br \/>\nof mosquito flutter<\/p>\n<p>.. by jim kacian &#8211; <em>Chincoteague<\/em> (Red Moon Press, 2000)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>The old wind chimes<br \/>\nin the basement for winter<br \/>\ntinkle from my sigh<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>as the professor speaks<br \/>\nonly his bald spot<br \/>\nis illuminated<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/files\/2008\/08\/blackboard-abcn.gif\" \/> .. by <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/george-swede-archive-part-ii\/\">George Swede<\/a><br \/>\n\u201cthe old wind chimes\u201d &#8211; <em>The Heron\u2019s Nest<\/em><br \/>\n&#8220;as the professor speaks&#8221; &#8211; <em>Almost Unseen<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>traffic jam<br \/>\na plastic dog<br \/>\nkeeps on nodding<\/p>\n<p>\u2026\u2026\u2026Yu Chang &#8211; <em>Upstate Dim Sum<\/em> (2002\/I)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>between layers the stone mason\u2019s nap<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>.. by w.f. owen &#8211; <em>Haiku Notebook<\/em> (Lulu Press, 2007)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>tired of feeding<br \/>\non the horse<br \/>\nthe horsefly naps<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>misty day&#8211;<br \/>\nno doubt Heaven&#8217;s saints<br \/>\nbored stiff<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>under dewy umbrella-hat<br \/>\nnodding off&#8230;<br \/>\nthe dog barks!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>ashamed<br \/>\nnapping, hearing<br \/>\nthe rice-planting song<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8230;&#8230;. by <a href=\"http:\/\/haikuguy.com\/issa\/\">Kobayashi Issa<\/a>, translated by David L. Lanoue<br \/>\n&#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/haikuguy.com\/issa\/\">commentary<\/a> on &#8220;misty day&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>four glazed eyes &#8212;<br \/>\ntheir first and last<br \/>\ndate<\/p>\n<p>&#8230; by dagosan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>p.s.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> The bored young lady at the head of this posting is my lovely niece Lissa (in a photo taken quite a few years ago).\u00a0 She turned eleven on August 3rd, and her proud uncle wishes her a wonderful new year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>. . It&#8217;s summer time and parents around the globe keep hearing the same refrain: &#8220;I&#8217;m bored!&#8221; Cranky Prof. Yabut&#8216;s usual reply is &#8220;Only boring people get bored,&#8221; but he really means &#8220;Only boring people stay bored.&#8221; If you&#8217;d like to have a more constructive response the next time your kids, co-workers, or students complain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[555,1414],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-haiku-or-senryu","category-qs-quickies"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-2wz","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12214,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9707\/revisions\/12214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}