What to Do When You’re Bored With Your Routines

Blame hedonic adaptation: the tendency for us to get used to things over time.

By Juli Fraga (The New York Times, March 29, 2019)

Last spring I started a new exercise class. As someone who dislikes doing jumping jacks, burpees and push-ups, I found the workouts surprisingly enjoyable — at least for a while. But after several months, my newish hobby began to feel like watching the same episode of a TV sitcom over and over again. Overly familiar with the class routine, my excitement had been replaced with boredom, a nattering emotion that affects us all.

A 2016 study estimated that 63 percent of us suffer from boredom at least once over a 10-day period. While it certainly won’t kill us, researchers have found that chronically bored people are more prone to depression, substance use and anxiety.

Even though we all feel apathetic from time to time, according to Mary Mann, a researcher and author of “Yawn: Adventures in Boredom,” talking about it can be embarrassing because it’s often seen as being self-inflicted. “Only boring people get bored” seems to be a popular belief, Ms. Mann said.

But boredom isn’t a character flaw. It’s a state brought on by a behavioral phenomenon called hedonic adaptation: the tendency for us to get used to things over time. This explains why initially gratifying activities and relationships can sometimes lose their luster.

“Humans are remarkably good at growing accustomed to the positive and negative changes in their lives,” said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, who studies hedonic adaptation.

Sometimes this is a good thing, like when “it comes to adversities like losing a loved one, divorce or downsizing,” Ms. Lyubomirsky said. “We adjust fairly well, but this same flexibility can be detrimental to how we respond to positive life events.”

For example: Think about the last time you got a raise, bought a new car, moved to a new city or fell in love. At first these experiences bring about an immense sense of joy, but over time they all just become part of the routine. We adjust our expectations and move on, ready for the next thing that will excite us again — this is called the hedonic treadmill. It’s why your favorite songs, TV shows and restaurants can start to feel dull after a while.

Though it can be a downer when boredom taints the pleasure in our lives, hedonic adaptation serves an evolutionary purpose. [Like what you’re reading? Sign up here for the Smarter Living newsletter to get stories like this (and much more!) delivered straight to your inbox every Monday morning.]

“If our emotional reactions didn’t weaken with time, we couldn’t recognize novel changes that may signal rewards or threats,” Ms. Lyubomirsky said.

In other words, we’d overlook cues needed to make important, daily decisions about our safety, relationships and careers. This is what happens when we first fall in love or experience loss — being caught in the glow of happiness or the web of sadness can temporarily make us more distracted or forgetful, and decrease our motivation.

The good news is that understanding the connection between hedonic adaptation and boredom can help us maneuver around this “stuck” feeling. Psychologists have found that adaptation is more common when interactions with situations, people and events remain unchanged.

“Repeating certain behaviors causes positive and negative emotional responses to wane,” said Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California. She added that when our emotional response weakens, boredom begins to build.

A study published last year in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin offers some additional insight. According to the researchers, finding quirky ways to interact with a familiar person, place or thing can interrupt the hedonic treadmill, making everyday experiences feel new again.

Applying this wisdom to our daily activities can be a useful way to garner greater satisfaction from the constants in our lives.

Eat lunch with chopsticks. A 2018 study found that eating food in unconventional ways can make eating and drinking feel more novel. While this might sound like narrow advice for only those who are tired of bringing tuna in Tupperware to the office for lunch, the underlying concept is applicable to many situations where boredom with the norm has sucked the joy from an activity. “Finding new ways to interact with familiar things can disrupt adaptation because it signals the brain to pay more attention to the experience,” said Robert W. Smith, co-author of the study and a professor of marketing at The Ohio State University. The takeaway: Approaching tasks in imaginative ways could prevent boredom from sabotaging your (metaphorical) lunch hour.

Work somewhere fresh. Spending too much time in the same environment, as we all can, can cause a boredom buildup. If you work from home, mix things up by working in a new place, like a coffee shop or a library; if you work from an office, try changing up the layout of your desk or work area. “We don’t adapt when things are dynamic and evolving,” Ms. Lyubomirsky said.

Changes don’t need to be large to have an impact. Simply accessorizing your desk with fresh flowers or approaching a work project in a novel way can make a difference, according to Rachel Loock, a career and leadership coach at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Added Ms. Wood: “It’s crucial to experience the enjoyable aspects of your job in different ways.”

For instance, if you typically look forward to leading your Monday morning meeting, look for novel approaches to the meeting that will keep it from becoming overly routine, like starting it with meditation or nonwork discussions.

According to Ms. Wood, finding creative ways to keep our jobs interesting can foster what positive psychology experts call “flow,” a mental state where we’re immersed in an activity with full energy and enjoyment.

Entertain at home. Not only is boredom a buzzkill, but it can be toxic to our partnerships.“Boredom is a common relationship issue that can lead to maladaptive coping skills,” said Venus Nicolino, a relationship expert and host of “Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.”

“When couples stop taking the opportunity to grow together,” Ms. Nicolino said, “dullness can build. However, that doesn’t mean the relationship is doomed.” It can be an opportunity to take on a new challenge, which can make the relationship feel more exciting.

Pose a question. Instead of asking well-worn questions like, “How was your day?” or “Did you have a good weekend?” get curious about a co-worker, friend or partner by asking something personal.

Mix up your commute. Monotonous tasks like commuting to and from work can end one’s day on a stale note. But, even if it takes some extra effort, don’t shy away from stirring things up. If you drive, take a different route home or listen to a new podcast. If you walk or use public transportation, greet a stranger or put away your Smartphone and do some old-fashioned people watching.

Whatever you do to quell boredom, keep things interesting by altering your behavior often. According to Ms. Lyubomirsky, not only can variety interrupt hedonic adaptation; it might just be the spice of happiness.

Вариант 7

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