Put down your phone, being bored can spark a bright idea

IT’S one of the things we whine about most – but it’s actually good to be bored.

Studies show that allowing the mind to wander fuels creativity.

Researcher Dr Sandi Mann found adults given dull and repetitive tasks came up with more imaginative ideas afterwards, proving boredom is far from a waste of time.

And she warned that our obsession with smartphones and other gadgets could be stifling this creativity because time we would have spent daydreaming is taken up with emailing, texting or surfing the internet.

Similarly, children could benefit from having some time to themselves, rather than being constantly entertained.

To prove her theory, Dr Mann gave 80 adults two polystyrene cups and asked them to come up with as many uses for them as possible.

Half got straight to work, while the other half first spent 15 minutes copying numbers out of a phone book.

As a result, the latter group came up with more ideas, the

‘I come up with all sorts of projects’

British Psychological Society magazine Psychologist reports.

A repetitive reading task proved even more effective at sparking the imagination. Dr Mann, of the University of Central Lancashire, said this may be because reading requires less concentration than writing, allowing more scope for daydreaming.

She added: ‘I am acutely aware that being bored is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It is good to be bored sometimes.

‘I think up so many ideas when I am commuting to and from work. Thanks to the boredom it induces, I come up with all sorts of projects.’

Dr Mann also believes it is i mportant for children to be bored. She said: ‘We seem to be afraid of our kids being bored but boredom can lead to creativity and if you stifle the boredom, you stifle the creativity.

‘Finding ways to amuse themselves is an important skill.’

But our love of gadgets means we are in danger of forgetting how to be bored.

Dr Mann said: ‘ No one ever stands waiting for a bus or train without playing on their phone. Whenever we have got a moment to fill, we get our phone out.’

However, she warned that it was a question of balance as too much boredom can be destructive – with bored workers often seeking solace in alcohol and chocolate.