Scrolling videos when you’re bored begets more boredom. That’s what a study from the University of Toronto found. NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe explains.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
What do you do when you’re bored? Whip out your phone and just start scrolling through videos, or you get bored of one video, so you move on to the next…
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: This might be the best breakfast I’ve ever had.
RASCOE: …And the next.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Do you have a costumer who comes up with all of your…
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: How to avoid being pickpocketed…
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: New Jersey…
RASCOE: And now, maybe you feel even more bored. Well, there’s new research to back you up, led by Katy Tam at the University of Toronto.
KATY TAM: We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be. When people are switching or fast forwarding, their attention is actually jumping around and they’re not fully focused in the content they’re consuming and this can increase boredom.
RASCOE: Maybe you should do squats, take up knitting, read some research papers, or how about listen to the radio? Just don’t change that station.
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