How Boredom Can Spark Creativity In All Ages

For most of us, the older we get, the more we tend to believe that we are not as creative as we were when we were younger. This is a common misconception; we are as creative as we once were, we just aren't in the right state of mind. The cure for loss of creativity? Boredom!

Boredom is often viewed as a negative state that most of us want to find our way out of as soon as we feel it. However, boredom offers much more value than we think. Boredom is scientifically proven to be a catalyst for creative ideas. This is because when we are under stimulated, our brain activates the (DMN), Default Mode Network. This is responsible for daydreaming, mind-wandering, and problem-solving. By stepping away from the stimulation that surrounds us constantly, creative thinking becomes natural.

Think about it, the reason it's become more difficult to generate creative ideas is that entertainment is endless. With just our phones, there is enough entertainment for at least 50 lifetimes. Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify are all forms of entertainment that are seemingly endless in the amount of content there is to consume. That is not even counting scrolling on social media. When we were younger, this wasn't always the case. We were limited to the entertainment in our home, the books on the shelves, the records we had purchased, and the movies that were in theaters. When we got bored, we would go outside and have to use our creativity to entertain ourselves. Now, with only a few clicks of a button, billions of hours of entertainment are at our fingertips. It's almost impossible to be bored.

This problem isn't only affecting us, but also affecting young children. Creativity goes hand in hand with problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Today, lots of young children are subjected to loads of stimulation on iPads or phones. This directly stunts their creativity as they no longer need to come up with creative ideas to keep themselves entertained.

Although boredom is viewed as something to avoid, it can provide valuable opportunities for creativity and personal growth. When our brains aren't constantly occupied with millions of hours of entertainment, it has more time to reflect, relax, solve problems, and generate new ideas. Rather than seeing boredom as wasted time, it may be one of the most powerful tools for unlocking creativity.