"Why Boredom is Interesting" now out in Current Directions

"When a Russian man stole an army tank and drove it into a local supermarket, you would have been forgiven for thinking he had good reason. Nope, reported journalists: He was just bored."

​Much like pain, we argue, boredom isn't pleasant - but it signals important deficits in attention and meaning. Those signals can go awry and steer us towards bad behavior in environments where good options are lacking. Read more in our latest lab paper, now out in Current Directions!