Boredom Is in Your Mind: A Shared Psychological-Philosophical Approach

Description

This book offers a unique perspective on the topic of boredom, with chapters written by diverse representatives of various mental health disciplines and philosophical approaches. On one hand, studying boredom involves the mental processes of attention, memory, perception, creativity, or language use; on the other, boredom can be understood by taking into account many pathological conditions such as depression, stress, and anxiety. This book seeks to fill the knowledge gap in research by discussing boredom through an interdisciplinary dialogue, giving a comprehensive overview of the past and current literature within boredom studies, while discussing the neural bases and causes of boredom and its potential consequences and implications for individual and social well-being. Chapters explore the many facets of boredom, including: Understanding the cognitive-affective mechanisms underlying experiences of boredom Philosophical perspectives on boredom, self-consciousness, and narrative How boredom shapes both basic and complex human thoughts, feelings, and behavior Analyzing boredom within Freudian and Lacanian frameworks Boredom Is in Your Mind: A Shared Psychological-Philosophical Approach is a pioneering work that brings together threads of cross-disciplinary boredom research into one comprehensive resource. It is relevant for graduate students and researchers in myriad intersecting disciplines, among them cognitive psychology, cognitive neurosciences, and clinical psychology, as well as philosophy, logic, religion, and other areas of the humanities and social sciences. Coming to Terms: A Shared Understanding of Boredom from Psychology and Philosophy......Page 6 Contents......Page 19 Editor and Contributors......Page 21 Abbreviations......Page 23 List of Figures......Page 25 1 Is It a Good Thing to Be Bored?......Page 26 References......Page 34 Introduction......Page 36 Boredom and Meaning: Historical Roots......Page 37 Boredom’s Existential Connotation......Page 38 Meaning-Regulation......Page 39 Boredom and Meaning......Page 40 Self-regulatory Effects of Boredom......Page 42 A Pragmatic Meaning-Regulation Hypothesis......Page 43 Constituent 1: Low Meaning Is Boredom’s Habitat......Page 44 Constituent 2: Boredom Instigates a Search for Meaningful Engagement......Page 46 Constituent 3: Sources of Meaning Prevent Boredom......Page 48 The Notion of Pragmatism......Page 50 Boredom’s Future Is Meaningful: Some Unexamined Directions......Page 51 Boredom’s Regulation of Symbolic Resources: Meaning as a Case in Point......Page 52 References......Page 53 Introduction......Page 61 The Value of Exploration......Page 62 Can Animals Be Bored?......Page 64 A Failure to Launch and a Failure to Focus......Page 65 A Boredom Prone Phenotype: Foraging and Beyond......Page 67 Conclusion......Page 69 References......Page 72 4 Boredom Is a Feeling of Thinking and a Double-Edged Sword......Page 78 What Is Boredom?......Page 79 Boredom Is the Feeling of a Particular Mode of Thinking......Page 80 Boredom Feels Bad; But We’re Cognitive Misers Too......Page 82 What Is Mental Strain?......Page 83 Mental Strain Is the Feeling of a Particular Mode of Thinking......Page 84 Boredom and Mental Strain Can Be Beneficial......Page 85 Boredom and Mental Strain Can Be Treacherous......Page 88 References......Page 89 Introduction......Page 94 Boredom Is an Affection......Page 95 The Sequence of Boredom......Page 97 Reactions to Boredom......Page 99 Boredom and Philosophy......Page 102 Clinical Case......Page 103 Conclusion......Page 108 References......Page 109 Introduction......Page 113 Definitions......Page 114 Aims......Page 116 Methods......Page 117 Boredom in Recent Psychology......Page 120 Boredom in Kierkegaard......Page 122 Boredom in Heidegger......Page 125 Conclusion......Page 128 References......Page 129 7 Heidegger on Creativity: From Boredom to Re-engagement with the World......Page 133 Two Forms of Entrainment......Page 134 Being and Time......Page 136 Boredom 1: The Train Station......Page 137 Boredom 2: The Dinner Party......Page 138 Boredom 3: Profound Boredom......Page 139 Between Being and the Social......Page 140 Re-engagement with the World......Page 141 References......Page 142 Introduction. Hitchin’ a Ride......Page 144 Resuming Life. War, Peace, and the Narrative State of Nature......Page 147 Weariness, Boredom, and the Burden of Modern (epic) Narratives of the Self......Page 150 References......Page 154 9 Animal Boredom......Page 156 Boredom as a Lack of Meaning......Page 157 Anthropomorphism and Anthropodenial......Page 158 The Mental States of Animals......Page 160 Criteria for Animal Boredom......Page 163 The Good Life......Page 165 References......Page 167 The Helix Center Roundtable on Boredom......Page 169 Invitees to the Roundtable on Boredom......Page 170 Introduction: The Bane and Boon of Boredom by Mark Polizzotti......Page 171 Brainstorming on Boredom......Page 173 Attendees’ Comments and Questions......Page 181 Glossary......Page 188 Index......Page 195