Setup
While the act of spacing out has long been attributed to fueling creativity, many of us are downright uncomfortable with being bored. In fact, a prominent social science study reveals that a surprising number of people would rather be electrically shocked than left alone with their thoughts. Add a constant stream of updates, texts, and other technological distractions to an already tense relationship, and it can feel like we’re doomed. What is the connection between boredom and original thinking? How we can harness boredom’s hidden benefits to become our most productive selves? How do we reclaim the lost art of doing nothing?
- 2017 Festival
- Society
Explore More
Society





Peggy Clark asks Dan Glickman to reflect on this past year and to share what he expects from our country under President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.



“We are not in a rush to pull people back into the workplace,” says Rob Falzon



Not by shying away from arguments but by embracing them. Arguments are our legacy and our shared history.

Two pro athletes talk about the perils of speaking up for justice in 2020, and what it would take to see progress and create measurable societal change.

The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...















