This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/magazine/6221594.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Surviving boredom | Surviving boredom |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| By Joe Boyle BBC News Time to rethink those dreams of becoming an astronaut. Space chiefs planning a trip to Mars want to lock a group of volunteers away for 500 days to see what prolonged boredom does to us. Suddenly, Big Brother seems quite appealing. | |
| "Boredom is what boring people feel." So goes the parental adage used against restless offspring. If true, then ours is a nation of very boring people. | "Boredom is what boring people feel." So goes the parental adage used against restless offspring. If true, then ours is a nation of very boring people. |
| You're stuck in an instant that appears to be an eternity, but it appears to be a bad eternity Dr Lars Svendsen on boredom Volunteers sought for Mars test Countless studies attest to the ennui stalking our lives, and psychologist Sandi Mann claims that "boredom is the second most commonly suppressed emotion at work." | You're stuck in an instant that appears to be an eternity, but it appears to be a bad eternity Dr Lars Svendsen on boredom Volunteers sought for Mars test Countless studies attest to the ennui stalking our lives, and psychologist Sandi Mann claims that "boredom is the second most commonly suppressed emotion at work." |
| It's almost as if we have been conditioned to endure boredom, with ever-lengthening commutes and working hours. It has been blamed for all manner of ills, from stress and infidelity to obesity and overspending. | It's almost as if we have been conditioned to endure boredom, with ever-lengthening commutes and working hours. It has been blamed for all manner of ills, from stress and infidelity to obesity and overspending. |
| And now 12 volunteers will locked in an isolation tank for 17 months to simulate a trip to Mars for the European Space Agency. | And now 12 volunteers will locked in an isolation tank for 17 months to simulate a trip to Mars for the European Space Agency. |
| Killing timeThe aim is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience - "crowding, lack of privacy, high workload, mechanical breakdowns, boredom with available food, and limited communication with mission control, family and friends," the agency says in its job advert. | Killing timeThe aim is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience - "crowding, lack of privacy, high workload, mechanical breakdowns, boredom with available food, and limited communication with mission control, family and friends," the agency says in its job advert. |
| But like all bosses, the agency's Dr Thu Jennifer Ngo-Anh hopes to keep her employees too busy - in this case maintaining the module and preparing scientific research - to be bored. | But like all bosses, the agency's Dr Thu Jennifer Ngo-Anh hopes to keep her employees too busy - in this case maintaining the module and preparing scientific research - to be bored. |
| But they will be surrounded by the same faces - and in the same place, doing the same things - day in and day out. | But they will be surrounded by the same faces - and in the same place, doing the same things - day in and day out. |
| "They have to be mentally capable of enduring that. Part of why we're doing this is to find people that will endure the whole programme," she says. | "They have to be mentally capable of enduring that. Part of why we're doing this is to find people that will endure the whole programme," she says. |
| What is boredom? | What is boredom? |
| It seems hard to imagine that a trip to Mars could be boring, however the same cannot be said of spending the equivalent time pretending to do this journey. Dr Lars Svendsen, author of A Philosophy of Boredom, says there is more than one type of boredom. | It seems hard to imagine that a trip to Mars could be boring, however the same cannot be said of spending the equivalent time pretending to do this journey. Dr Lars Svendsen, author of A Philosophy of Boredom, says there is more than one type of boredom. |
| Nothing to do, nowhere to go"Situational boredom is defined by the presence or absence of something in a situation. This can be listening to a boring lecture, or waiting for a plane in an airport. Then there is repetitive boredom, where something that in itself is fun becomes boring through repetition." | Nothing to do, nowhere to go"Situational boredom is defined by the presence or absence of something in a situation. This can be listening to a boring lecture, or waiting for a plane in an airport. Then there is repetitive boredom, where something that in itself is fun becomes boring through repetition." |
| So rather than complain about feeling bored, should we celebrate our ability to endure it and regard this as a valuable skill in a job market increasingly dominated by carrying out repetitive tasks ad nauseum? | So rather than complain about feeling bored, should we celebrate our ability to endure it and regard this as a valuable skill in a job market increasingly dominated by carrying out repetitive tasks ad nauseum? |
| Dr Svendsen thinks not, being no fan of the emotion. "You're stuck in an instant that appears to be an eternity, but it appears to be a bad eternity, and there seems to be virtually no escape. You can't just say 'I don't want to be bored now'." | Dr Svendsen thinks not, being no fan of the emotion. "You're stuck in an instant that appears to be an eternity, but it appears to be a bad eternity, and there seems to be virtually no escape. You can't just say 'I don't want to be bored now'." |
| But there is no easy way to grasp the concept of boredom, because it "doesn't really have any qualities", he says. Asked for a definition, he pauses before offering, "a lack of personal meaning". | But there is no easy way to grasp the concept of boredom, because it "doesn't really have any qualities", he says. Asked for a definition, he pauses before offering, "a lack of personal meaning". |
| Human touch | Human touch |
| Dr Richard Ralley, of Edge Hill University, is currently researching how boredom affects people, to determine whether some personality types cope better than others. | Dr Richard Ralley, of Edge Hill University, is currently researching how boredom affects people, to determine whether some personality types cope better than others. |
| Sound familiar? "I'm bored, there's nothing on TV""People assume that the opposite of boredom is excitement, so parents take their children to a theme park. Similarly, the information contained on the internet was what everyone expected to relieve people's boredom. | Sound familiar? "I'm bored, there's nothing on TV""People assume that the opposite of boredom is excitement, so parents take their children to a theme park. Similarly, the information contained on the internet was what everyone expected to relieve people's boredom. |
| "But quite obviously what humans want is social interactivity - so parents would be better off taking their children on a picnic than to a theme park. And with the internet, people want to engage with each other - that's where the blogs and the chatrooms came from. The other stuff is seen as nerdy now." | "But quite obviously what humans want is social interactivity - so parents would be better off taking their children on a picnic than to a theme park. And with the internet, people want to engage with each other - that's where the blogs and the chatrooms came from. The other stuff is seen as nerdy now." |
| Perhaps the astronauts, and those who will simulate their voyage, can learn from oil rig workers, many of whom endure weeks of isolation in remote locations. | Perhaps the astronauts, and those who will simulate their voyage, can learn from oil rig workers, many of whom endure weeks of isolation in remote locations. |
| Jake Molloy, general secretary of the rig workers' union OILC, says that boredom can be a problem. "If you go to some of the older installations there is very little to do. You just have to sit and read a book in the evenings." | Jake Molloy, general secretary of the rig workers' union OILC, says that boredom can be a problem. "If you go to some of the older installations there is very little to do. You just have to sit and read a book in the evenings." |
| But there is no special training for his workers to deal with the psychological effects of isolation and boredom, despite it being part of the job description. | But there is no special training for his workers to deal with the psychological effects of isolation and boredom, despite it being part of the job description. |
| "You've just got to learn to fit in. If you are in any way easily upset or offended, or have a short fuse, the you shouldn't get into the industry. There are a lot of people who just can't cope." | "You've just got to learn to fit in. If you are in any way easily upset or offended, or have a short fuse, the you shouldn't get into the industry. There are a lot of people who just can't cope." |
| So excitable, voluble types need not apply. Yet that is exactly who turns out every year for Big Brother, the reality TV equivalent of the Mars simulation. But the volunteers - and the eventual astronauts - will not have recourse to copious amounts of alcohol, the favoured boredom tonic of the housemates. They will just have to find their own solution. | So excitable, voluble types need not apply. Yet that is exactly who turns out every year for Big Brother, the reality TV equivalent of the Mars simulation. But the volunteers - and the eventual astronauts - will not have recourse to copious amounts of alcohol, the favoured boredom tonic of the housemates. They will just have to find their own solution. |
| Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |
| Want to know what boredom feels like? Try invigilating public examinations day in, day out...Rebecca Wilkinson, Lancaster | Want to know what boredom feels like? Try invigilating public examinations day in, day out...Rebecca Wilkinson, Lancaster |
| The people chosen will probably be ok as they will be intelligent, highly educated and, unless suffering from personal problems or prone to depression, will be happy and satisfied thinking interesting thoughts. When you commute to work on a train it's easy to spot who wouldn't be suitable for space travel.Jon, Manchester | The people chosen will probably be ok as they will be intelligent, highly educated and, unless suffering from personal problems or prone to depression, will be happy and satisfied thinking interesting thoughts. When you commute to work on a train it's easy to spot who wouldn't be suitable for space travel.Jon, Manchester |