When Inequity Leads to Boredom: An Experimental Study With University Students.

While theoretical connections between social inequity and boredom have been established, empirical evidence is lacking. Inequity aversion is important in this relationship. If individuals believe that the amount of work invested in pursuing an outcome has been unfairly devalued in relation to the investment of others, they may feel that their investment is greater than the outcome's worth. This experimental study explores whether devaluation of one's investment in a task, in relation to another individual's investment required to obtain equal rewards, is experienced as boredom. Undergraduate and graduate students (N = 31) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions and performed a monotonous task in the presence of a confederate, for equal reward. Exposure time to the confederate varied. It was expected that participants who spent more time on the task than the confederate would report more boredom and a negatively distorted time experience. Significant between-group effects were found for Tedium (F(2, 28) = 3.55, p = .04) and Temporal Estimation (F(2, 28) = 5.37, p = .01). Participants who spent more time on the task felt more bored (Mdiff = -1.05, p = .05) and rated time as progressing slower (Mdiff = -1.26, p = .03). There were no significant differences between the other conditions. A parsimonious interpretation is that the perceived inequity in resource investment costs associated with different lengths of social exposure during the boredom-inducing task increased the salience of investment loss, which was experienced as boredom and resulted in a distorted time experience.

Boredom in a Time of Uncertainty: State and Trait Boredom's Associations with Psychological Health during COVID-19.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, studies have demonstrated increases in boredom and its negative impact on mental health. This cross-sectional study examines state and trait boredom at four different points of the pandemic using an online sample of participants from the United States (n = 783). The results showed significant increases in boredom proneness, state boredom, substance use, loneliness, and distress. Boredom was associated with increases in each of these variables and a greater likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19. Moreover, the increases in distress, loneliness, and substance use became non-significant when controlling for boredom. Boredom proneness remained associated with all adverse outcomes when accounting for state boredom. In contrast, the relationships between state boredom and most adverse outcomes lost significance when controlling for boredom proneness, and state boredom was positively associated with increased hope for the future. Overall, the results suggest that high boredom proneness is an important vulnerability factor for poor psychological health and risky behaviors during the pandemic. However, high levels of recent state boredom, independent of boredom proneness, do not predict similarly negative outcomes. State boredom may indicate the extent to which one remains hopeful that circumstances will improve without resorting to risky, potentially maladaptive coping strategies.

Treatment outcomes in older adults with hoarding disorder: The impact of self-control, boredom and social support.

OBJECTIVES: Hoarding disorder in older adults often develops in the context of co-occurring psychosocial maladies, and treatment response tends to be suboptimal. This preliminary investigation explored several ageing-related factors and their relationship to hoarding symptom severity (HSS), and examined treatment response to 15 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with in-home support. METHODS: Twenty-nine participants (Mage = 67) completed self-report questionnaires measuring HSS, self-control, indecisiveness, depression, loneliness, social support and boredom, before (T1) and after (T2) treatment. RESULTS: At T1, HSS was associated marginally with loneliness and significantly with all other variables, except social support. At T2, HSS and depression decreased significantly and only boredom and self-control remained associated with HSS. Attrition rates were high, and those with low social support were more likely to discontinue treatment prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing social support may improve treatment retention, and pre-emptively reducing sources of boredom and increasing self-control during treatment might improve outcomes for older adults with hoarding disorder.