The Routledge International Handbook of Boredom

This comprehensive text is a unique handbook dedicated to research on boredom. The book brings together leading contributors from across three continents and numerous fields to provide an interdisciplinary exploration of boredom, its theoretical underpinnings, its experiential properties, and the applied contexts in which it occurs. Boredom is often viewed as a mental state with little utility, though recent research suggests that it can be a powerful motivator of human behavior that shapes our actions in many ways. The book examines boredom from a range of perspectives and is comprised of three parts. Part I delves into the theoretical approaches to boredom, presenting methods for its measurement, explaining when and why boredom occurs, and scrutinizing the impact it has on our behavior. Part II focuses on the psychological and neural properties of boredom and its associations with a multitude of mental and interpersonal processes, such as self-control, mind-wandering, flow, and aggression. Part III presents boredom in practical contexts like school and work, and sheds light on its role for health-related behaviors, psychosocial well-being, and aesthetic experiences. The book concludes by summarizing the state of boredom research, identifying promising areas for future research, and providing directions for how research on boredom can be advanced. As the authoritative book on boredom, this handbook is an essential resource for students and researchers of psychology, sociology, education, sport science, and computer science.

Maik Bieleke received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Konstanz (Germany), where he currently works as a senior researcher. He focuses on motivation, effort, and performance, with an emphasis on the interplay of self-control and boredom as guiding signals of human behavior. Dr. Wanja Wolff studied psychology at the University of Konstanz, earned his doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Potsdam, and has then worked as a senior researcher at the University of Konstanz. Since 2024, he is a Professor for Sport Psychology at the University of Hamburg where he heads the Dynamics of Human Performance Regulation Laboratory (DHPRL). The DHPRL uses psychological, neuroscientific, and physiological methods to investigate how people regulate performance in different contexts. Corinna S. Martarelli received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Bern (Switzerland). She is currently Associate Professor for Methods and Statistics at the Faculty of Psychology of UniDistance Suisse. She carries out research in the field of cognitive psychology in the areas of memory and learning, with a focus on boredom and mind-wandering.

01. Boredom is not Boring Part 1: Foundations 02. Same Same but Different - What is Boredom Actually 03. Methodological Approaches to Boredom and its Measurement 04. The Nature and Value of Boredom 05. The Function of Boredom: Driving us to Explore the New and Different 06. Boredom: A Control-Value Theory Approach 07. Boredom and the Quest for Meaning 08. A Brief History of the Psychology of Boredom Part 2: Correlates 09. On the Virtues of Fragile Self-Control: Boredom as a Catalyst for Adaptive Behavior Regulation 10. Mind-wandering as an Exploratory Response to Boredom 11. Flow as an Experience Beyond Boredom 12. Boredom on the Brain: What can Neuroimaging tell us about Boredom? 13. Boredom Proneness 14. On the Relation of Boredom and Aggression Part 3: Contexts 15. Academic Boredom 16. Boredom at Work: A Systematic Review of the Causes and Consequences of Work-Related Boredom 17. Adolescent boredom in Leisure: Risks and Opportunities for Healthy Development 18. Boredom, Food Consumption and Weight 19. Boredom in Sports and Exercise 20. Boredom and the Psychosocial Well-being of Persons Experiencing Homelessness 21. Aesthetic boredom 22. Boredom Intervention: Recommendations, Experiences, and Preliminary Evidence 23. Overview of Current Directions in Boredom Research