Boredom: Is It Catching?

I left an open prompt on gchat today: "Informal poll: When was the last time you were bored?". Sarah responded, and away we went:


Sarah: saturday. but on purpose.

me: heh. tell me more.

Sarah: stressful week, wanted to feel bored. so i did everything i had to do for a while, and then i sat around for a while and felt bored.
when was the last time you felt bored?

me: Hm. Well, here's the backstory:
Someone was complaining to me yesterday about people who got bored.

Sarah: uh huh

me: "What, you can't read a book? Watch a movie! Fucking do push-ups! Who gets bored!"
...
and I realized I can't really remember the last time that happened
to me, anyway
I mean, maybe 20-hour plane flights

Sarah: i can't remember the last time it happened and i didn't do something about it
hahaha TRUE
if i get bored i go do something else, usually

me: Right. I mean, I've never been exposed to boredom long enough that it ground at me
Right.

Sarah: fair

me: (Maybe I have been, but it's been a long while)
You think that's universal?

Sarah: (amen... 5th grade the last time i can really remember)
that cool people don't get bored
and icky people do?

me: I mean, do people just claim boredom to get a sweetheart to come over for a hookup session?

Sarah: haha well here's what im thinking
maybe there's two states of boredom
paralytic boredom and ... proactive boredom

me: I think probably the first ten minutes of the one lead, when unchecked, to the other
right? Or are some people prone to one but not the other?

Sarah: i think some people are prone to paralytic boredom

me: If you're a proactive bore (har har), can you fall into the other after years of neglecting your impulses?

Sarah: thinking of some of my students here
and never do anything to snap out of it

me: If you're the other way, can you be trained to be proactive?

Sarah: well i think people can change, so yes to both

me: (assuming, of course, that proactive's the way to be -- but I think that's an easy case to make)
woot!

Sarah: i think it's the only case to make
who wants to be a paralytic bore

me: truth. My bet is it's addictive, though
much like depression

Sarah: amen
i wonder if it's any different
maybe the boredom is a symptom of depression

me: Hmmm!
Or vice versa.

Sarah: who knows

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...do you, gentle reader? When was the last time you were bored? And what kind was it?