Bored out of your brain? Or just at a loose end? A QUT PhD psychology candidate has developed a survey that you can use to assess your boredom levels.
Jim Oxtoby, from QUT's School of Psychology and Counselling, says boredom is a common complaint but the true consequences of boredom are not well known.
Mr Oxtoby is looking for ordinary people to take an online survey to help him drill down into the health effects of the mind-numbed state that affects us all at some time.
"Not a lot of research has been done on measuring boredom and how it impacts on mental health," Mr Oxtoby said.
"However, boredom has been linked to various problems, including violent behaviour, drug use, workplace absenteeism, poor academic grades, and unsafe driving behaviour."
Mr Oxtoby said some people had a stronger tendency to become bored, and the true extent of boredom in society was not well understood.
"We know that teenagers often complain of boredom, but what impacts does this actually have on them? And, is their boredom actually worse than what adults experience?" he said.
"We'd like to find out just how pervasive boredom is. If boredom is contributing to people's mental health symptoms, then this is especially important for us to look into."
To participate in the research and measure your own levels of boredom, please go to http://survey.qut.edu.au/f/176710/5387/
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media, 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.
