Why being bored is bad for your health

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Updated:


Being bored could be bad for your health, a medical study revealed today.

People who reported being bored were likely to die younger than those who were not, researchers said.

Experts from University College London said boredom is not specifically dangerous but could be a symptom of 'harmful behaviour' such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and psychological problems.

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The researchers stressed the study was not a serious piece of scientific work but a commentary piece intended for the amusement of epidemiologists and medics.

They analysed questionnaires completed between 1985 and 1988 by more than 7,000 civil servants aged 35 to 55.

The civil servants were asked to record how often they had felt bored in the previous month.

Those most likely to be bored were young women, and those who reported they had been very bored were found to be more likely to die of a heart problem than those who hadn't reported being bored.

But this effect was reduced after researchers took into account underlying ill-health and poor health behaviours.

The report authors said: "We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored.

'However, the state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors.

'Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified, eg, disease status or position in society, proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles.'

The findings will be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
 

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