TY - JOUR AU - Finkielsztein, Mariusz PY - 2023/01/01 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - The Significance of Boredom: A Literature Review JF - Journal of Boredom Studies JA - Journal of Boredom Studies VL - IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://www.boredomsociety.com/jbs/index.php/journal/article/view/3 SP - AB - <p>The paper aims at providing concise but thorough presentation of the state of art in the emerging field of boredom studies evidencing boredom significance to provide researchers from various disciplines with argumentation that boredom constitutes a worth researching phenomenon. The premise of the boredom significance is to be expounded by documenting its widespread, social consequences, functions and positive outcomes. Boredom has been found prevalent irrespectively of age, gender, culture or social class. It affects all main spheres of human life – work, leisure, education, romantic relationships, &nbsp;and even religious life. It has also been evidenced that boredom has many significant consequences. It has been associated with, among others, risk-taking behaviours, overeating, impulse shopping, or (self-)destructive and violent behaviours. Yet, boredom may serve numerous significant functions as well. As an emotion, it is important for cognition, motivation and communication and has&nbsp; had evolutionary meaning for human beings. In nowadays society, it serves as a defensive mechanism against overload of stimuli, but somehow to the contrary is also found to be a basic mechanism animating current consumerism. Boredom is also conceived to be a catalyst for reflection, self-cognition, creativity, and as a consequence a rudimental element of culture production and its advances.</p> ER -