Boredom: A Lively History

by Peter Toohey

In the first book to argue for the benefits of boredom, Peter Toohey dispels the myth that it's simply a childish emotion or an existential malaise like Jean-Paul Sartre's nausea. He shows how boredom is, in fact, one of our most common and constructive emotions and is an essential part of the human experience.

This informative and entertaining investigation of boredom—what it is and what it isn't, its uses and its dangers—spans more than 3,000 years of history and takes readers through fascinating neurological and psychological theories of emotion, as well as recent scientific investigations, to illustrate its role in our lives. There are Australian aboriginals and bored Romans, Jeffrey Archer and caged cockatoos, Camus and the early Christians, Dürer and Degas. Toohey also explores the important role that boredom plays in popular and highbrow culture and how over the centuries it has proven to be a stimulus for art and literature.

Toohey shows that boredom is a universal emotion experienced by humans throughout history and he explains its place, and value, in today's world. A Lively History is vital reading for anyone interested in what goes on when supposedly nothing happens.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Psychology, Personal Development, Education

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Peter Toohey, the author of Boredom: A Lively History and Melancholy, Love and Time, is professor of classics in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Calgary with a special interest in the nature and history of the emotions. He lives in Calgary, Canada.

Reviews

[Argos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Araştırma ve derleme kitabı, popüler bilim kitabı bile sayılabilir, edebi bir yazım olmamasına karşın akıcı, rahat okunan, adeta bir hikaye gibi değerlendirilebilecek dil ile yazılmış. Psikolojik, teolojik, felsefi ve sanatla ilgili değerlendirmeler derlenmiş. Can sıkıntısı ile depresyon ilişkisi (benzerlik/aykırılık) kitapta sıkça karşımıza çıkıyor.

Depresyon, hafif ama ısrarcı bir üzüntüden, insanı felce uğratan psikolojik acıya ka­dar uzanır, aynı şekilde varoluşsal can sıkıntısı da. Varoluşsal can sıkıntısı konusu yani kişinin sürekli kayıtsızlığına yol açan ve kendi şartlarına odaklanmasını imkansız kılan çok güçlü ve hafifletilemeyen bir boşluk hissi, dışlanma ve tiksintiyi içeren bu duygu edebiyatta Gonçarov’un “Oblomov”, Sartre’ın “Bulantı”, Orhan Pamuk’un “İs­tanbul”, Camus’un “Yabancı”, Flaubert ‘in “Madam Bovary” gibi yapıtlarında saptanan örnekler üzerinden anlatılmış.

Can sıkıntısının söz konusu olduğu birkaç görsel ipucunu Yaşlı Cranach’ın, Hopper’in, Dürer’in, Margritte’in resimlerinde aramış yazar. Bunlar arasında en güçlüleri esnemek ve başını ellerinin arası­na koymak olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Can sıkıntısı, geçici ve kaçı­nılmaz durumlar ile öngörülebilir koşulların yarattığı, sosyal nite­likli, hafif tiksinti duygusu olarak tanımlanmış.

Can Sıkıntısına Yatkınlık Ölçeği (BPS-Boredom Prone­ ness Scale) kendi üzerinizde deneyeceğiniz ilgi çekici bir test. Kendinize kolayca uygulayabilirsiniz. Bilgi edinmek isteyenler için kitap sonunda geniş bir kaynakça verilmiş.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

About as good as a book on boredom from an academic press can be. Toohey breaks down boredom into two styles: simple boredom (repetitive tasks, long airplane rides, etc.) and existential boredom (boredom with life bordering on depression). I wish Toohey had delved a little more into the biological/evolutionary advantages of boredom beyond its link with disgust and how it can disincentivize certain social behaviors. Chapter 4 was, for lack of a better word, boring.

Not bad given the subject matter.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is a state that we probably don't want to be in, it's boredom. It's the feeling of watching the paint dry or watching the tap drip. It can kill your time or kill you. But probably what most of us don't know is that boredom can actually be a good thing. In this book, the author pointed out that boredom is simply an adaptive emotion closely related to disgust. When we see or smell rotting food, we feel disgusted, which stops us from eating this food as it will most likely be toxic to our health. In the same way, boredom exists to provide an early warning signal that certain social situations may be dangerous to our well-being, be it a boring person or our own boring lifestyle. It's a sign that something must be changed or else worse things will follow. Hence, it's no surprise that boredom also breeds creativity as it allows you to question the tired, same-old, accepted norm of today's society and search for change. The author also highlighted the connection between time and boredom. Apparently, our perception of time changes when we are bored. In this case, time moves slower. But can you be bored if you have no sense of past time? That is, no clocks, calendars, lists, and linear form of memory like the Aboriginal Australians before colonisation. There are a few more interesting ideas that the author discussed, most importantly the concepts of simple and existential boredom. However, I just wish he could have employed a livelier, less formal approach in writing rather than being a bit on the academic side (which he did a fair amount of time when referencing books and artworks on the subject matter). Other historians seem to be able to do that. And, after all, he had 'a lively history' right on the cover.

[berin · Rating 2 out of 5]

okurken, can sıkıntısının eğlenceli olmayan tarihini yaşadım.

[Chee Wooi · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the overall, the book is okay if you are looking for a light read, but sorely lacking if you are trying to understand boredom in more detail.

The book doesn't have much in terms of insights and information. There are 6 chapters; out of which, the first 5 have their main points summarized in about a page each. The rest of each chapter are examples, and mostly not very good ones at that. Chapter 6, which discusses how to overcome boredom, is the only chapter of substantial content. Also, there is not much from a neuroscience perspective - only one study is ever mentioned.

The examples are frequently drawn from fiction, which I don't believe is a good way to make a point. Fictional characters are created primarily for entertainment. While made to be believable, their thoughts and actions do not necessarily reflect real people closely. The other examples are drawn from art, which rapidly becomes more of a "boredom art" appreciation course than a treatise on boredom. The only good examples in the book are drawn from real people who were incarcerated and what these people wrote about their experience with boredom.

[Yuvaraj kothandaraman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title "Boredom: A Lively History" is clever and interesting because it seems to contradict itself. The word "lively" [active, full of energy and fun] suggests excitement and movement, but "boredom" means the opposite. However, the book proves that boredom itself has a fascinating and dynamic history that changes across different time periods and societies. The title promises to tell the exciting story of a seemingly dull emotion, making boredom itself seem interesting.

"Boredom: A Lively History" is a book by Peter Toohey, a professor at the University of Calgary, that explores boredom as both a feeling and a historical phenomenon [something that has happened and changed over time]. Rather than trying to help you stop being bored, Toohey investigates what boredom actually is, how it has affected human behavior throughout history, and whether boredom has always existed or is a modern invention [something created recently]. The book is divided into six chapters and uses examples from art, literature, science, psychology, and real life to explain boredom's importance to understanding human society.

STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK
• Scholarly but Accessible: Toohey is a serious academic, but he writes in a way that anyone can understand. He doesn't use unnecessary jargon [specialized technical words].

• Uses Multiple Sources: The book draws on art, literature, psychology, neuroscience, history, and personal anecdotes [short personal stories]. This makes it rich and interesting.

• Visual Examples: Toohey includes reproductions of paintings and photographs that illustrate boredom visually. Seeing how artists depict boredom helps you understand it better.

• Important Distinction: Separating simple boredom from existential boredom is helpful. Many books confuse the two, but Toohey's distinction clarifies the issue.

• Historical Perspective: Rather than treating boredom as only modern, Toohey traces it back centuries, showing it's not a new problem.

• Challenges Common Assumptions: The book challenges the idea that boredom is always bad or should be avoided at all costs.

WEAKNESSES OF THE BOOK
• Sometimes Dense: While generally clear, some chapters (especially Chapter 5) are philosophically complex and require careful reading.

• Limited Practical Advice: The book is more analytical [breaking down and examining] than practical. It explains boredom but doesn't offer many concrete solutions for managing it.

• Could Have More Examples: While the book includes good examples, it could have more real-world examples from everyday life to illustrate points.

• The Animal Boredom Chapter Feels Incomplete: While Chapter 3 is interesting, some arguments about whether animals experience boredom the same way humans do remain debatable [open to question].

• Lengthy Discussions: A few sections, particularly about acedia and medieval spirituality, go into great detail that may not interest all readers.



CHAPTER 1: PUTTING BOREDOM IN ITS PLACE
Toohey explains that boredom has two main forms:
Simple Boredom: This is the everyday boredom we all know. It happens when you are trapped in a situation that is predictable [you know what will happen next], repetitive [the same thing happens again and again], and hard to escape. Examples include long family dinners, waiting in queues [standing in line], boring road trips, or sitting through long lectures. When you feel simple boredom, time seems to move slowly, and you feel distanced from the world around you. This kind of boredom is connected to disgust [a feeling of not liking something very much]. Toohey argues that boredom is related to the emotion of disgust in the same way that annoyance is related to anger [milder versions of the same emotion].

Existential Boredom (also called complex or philosophical boredom): This is a deeper kind of boredom that affects your entire existence. It includes feelings like depression, meaninglessness, emptiness, and world-weariness [being tired of life]. It has many names across different languages and times: ennui, malaise, taedium vitae [weariness with life], acedia [spiritual apathy], and others. Most books about boredom focus on this deeper form, but Toohey argues that simple boredom is equally important and more common in real life.

The book reveals that boredom is connected to dopamine [a chemical in the brain that creates feelings of pleasure and reward]. People with lower dopamine levels are more prone to boredom and seek excitement to boost their dopamine. This explains why some people naturally seek out thrilling and dangerous activities.

CHAPTER 2: CHRONIC BOREDOM AND THE COMPANY IT KEEPS
Toohey introduces the "Boredom Proneness Scale," a test designed by psychologists to measure how easily someone becomes bored. He explains that some people experience "chronic boredom" [long-lasting, constant boredom that doesn't go away], while others experience "transient boredom" [short-term boredom that passes quickly].

Importantly, Toohey argues that chronic boredom often comes with other problems:

Anger and Aggression: Chronically bored people are more likely to feel angry and aggressive. They may have trouble controlling their anger. This is beautifully shown in the painting "La Coiffure" by Edgar Degas, where a woman being tormented by hair combing shows both boredom and anger.

Risk-Taking Behavior: People suffering from chronic boredom often try to escape by doing dangerous things like drug use, excessive drinking, reckless driving, or promiscuity [having many casual sexual relationships]. These are attempts to boost dopamine levels.

Mental Health Issues: Chronic boredom is linked to depression, anxiety, gambling addiction, eating disorders, and poor school and work performance.

However, Toohey makes an important argument: chronic boredom is not the cause of these problems, but rather a companion to them. Both boredom and these other problems are caused by the same underlying issue: low dopamine levels and brain chemistry imbalances [things not working properly]. So boredom doesn't cause violence or drug abuse, but the same chemical problem that causes boredom can also cause these behaviors.

The chapter includes fascinating examples from literature, including James M. Cain's "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary," where characters' chronic boredom leads them to break the rules, have affairs, and ultimately end their lives.

CHAPTER 3: HUMANS, ANIMALS AND INCARCERATION
Toohey argues that boredom is not unique to humans. Many animals, including dogs, primates [apes and monkeys], and other creatures, can become bored. Scientists like Franoise Wemelsfelder have observed that confined animals show the same progression of boredom that humans do: first simple boredom, then agitation and anger, and finally depression.

When animals are kept in cages or confined spaces for too long, they become bored, which then turns into frustration, aggression, and eventually depression. Some caged animals begin to harm themselves, pluck out their fur, or stop moving completely [called learned helplessness - when a creature gives up].

The chapter also examines what happens to humans in prison. Toohey uses examples from autobiographies of famous prisoners like Jeffrey Archer (a British politician) and Albert Speer (a Nazi architect). Both describe boredom as "the killer" in prison. The confinement and lack of stimulation drive prisoners toward dangerous behaviors: drug use, aggression, and suicide.

Importantly, Toohey argues that boredom is not caused by prison itself, but rather is one element [part] of a larger problem. Isolation, confinement, and lack of stimulation are the real issues. Boredom is the first warning sign [early indication] that something is wrong.

CHAPTER 4: THE DISEASE THAT WASTETH AT NOONDAY
This chapter explores the spiritual and religious history of boredom. The title comes from the Bible and refers to "acedia" [a spiritual sickness that monks and religious people experienced].

Acedia: In medieval Christianity, acedia was a spiritual disease that afflicted [affected] monks. It was a state where a person lost faith and fell into spiritual apathy [not caring about things]. Monks would sit in their monasteries unable to pray, unable to feel God's presence, trapped in emptiness and meaninglessness. The Church called acedia the worst sin because all other sins flowed from it.

Ancient Connections: Toohey traces boredom back to Roman times. The philosopher Seneca writes about "taedium vitae" [weariness with life] and describes it as nausea [a feeling of sickness]. He complains about the endless repetition of life: "Does there no end? Do all things go in a circle?" This shows that boredom existed in ancient Rome.

The author finds evidence in ancient Roman inscriptions. One inscription from the city of Beneventum praises a public official for rescuing citizens from "taedia" [boredom]. Another inscription from Pompeii graffiti [wall writing] jokes that a wall must be bored from supporting all the writing on it.

Existential Boredom and Philosophy: Toohey shows how boredom became intellectualized [turned into a philosophical concept] in modern times. Philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre used the term "nausea" to describe existential boredom - the feeling that life is meaningless and existence is absurd [illogical and without reason]. But this concept has ancient roots.

CHAPTER 5: DOES BOREDOM HAVE A HISTORY?
This is the most important chapter philosophically. Toohey asks: Is boredom a modern invention [something created recently], or has it always existed?

The Constructionist View: Many scholars argue that boredom was "invented" in the 18th century (the Enlightenment era) when European society changed. They point out that the word "boredom" didn't appear in English before 1750. They argue that changes like increased leisure time, decline of religion, emphasis on individual happiness, and bureaucracy [complicated government/organizational systems] all created the modern experience of boredom.

Toohey's Argument: Toohey disagrees. He believes boredom has always existed, but society changed which made us more aware of it and name it. He points to the evidence:

The Roman inscription from Beneventum shows people were bored 2,000 years ago

Seneca writes about boredom in Roman times

Graffiti from Pompeii shows Romans were bored

Medieval monks experienced acedia (spiritual boredom)

The Confusion: Toohey argues the confusion comes from mixing simple boredom with existential boredom. Simple boredom has probably always existed (even animals experience it). Existential boredom - the philosophical kind - may be more modern. But both are real.

Different Societies: Toohey notes that some societies may have had less boredom than others. Australian Aboriginal cultures that lived "in the moment" without clocks or calendars may have experienced less boredom than modern people. But when colonizers brought Western clocks and calendars, boredom entered their world.

Toohey argues that boredom may be "regularly rediscovered" rather than invented. Humans always had the capacity for boredom, but not all societies enable [make possible] or require [make necessary] people to experience it. Modern society, with its emphasis on individual happiness, leisure, and meaning-making, has brought boredom more to the surface.

CHAPTER 6: THE LONG MARCH BACK TO BOREDOM
In the final chapter, Toohey reflects on what his entire investigation means. He argues against two mistakes people make about boredom:

Boredom is not evil: Some people treat boredom as something terrible that causes crime and violence. But Toohey shows boredom is often just a symptom of deeper problems, not the cause.

Boredom is not to be feared: Unlike many self-help books that say you should never be bored, Toohey argues that simple boredom is actually normal and even useful. It signals that a situation is not meeting our needs, and it can prompt us to change.

Toohey makes an important point: Boredom should not be "medicaliz ed" [treated as a disease that needs medicine]. Just as being sad sometimes is normal (not always depression), being bored sometimes is normal (not always a psychological problem).


This is not a self-help book promising to cure your boredom. It's not a motivational [inspiring you to action] book telling you to be excited about everything. Instead, it's a serious academic investigation that treats boredom as worthy of study and respect. Toohey actually argues that simple boredom is useful and natural, not something to feel ashamed of.

The book is also unusual in taking boredom seriously across centuries and cultures, rather than treating it as just a modern problem.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of this book is interesting. Toohey examines, what he terms, "simple boredom" (the emotional effect of being involved in repetitive, uninspiring tasks or being confined to a space for too long), as opposed to the much-studied/discussed "existential boredom" (why am I here? what is my purpose?). He argues that too much time, literature, philosophy, and art has been spent on existential boredom because it appears, on the surface, to be more "intellectual," while simple boredom is often overlooked as childish and immature. However, through his multidisciplinary research, including psychology, physiology, literature, philosophy, and art (particularly painting), he finds that simple boredom is really the crux of the emotional state of boredom, and that existential boredom is simply an over-intellectualized concept - not an emotion - that has its roots in simple boredom.

He also gives simple boredom a biological/evolutionary role. In the same way that humans have developed a feeling of disgust as a way of self-regulating (i.e. disgust lets us know when we are too full or too drunk or when we come in contact with something that is poisonous or deadly), humans use boredom as a cautionary mechanism for social situations that may be "hazardous" to us (maybe not hazardous in a deadly way, but hazardous to our mental health). In a way, boredom lets us know our threshold for certain social situations. Furthermore, he argues that anger is the emotion that follow quickly on the heels of boredom, so when we are becoming bored, it is our body's way of letting us know that anger and rage are approaching. It's a pretty interesting idea even if you don't buy into it in full.

However, the book itself ran out of information quickly and became extremely repetitive after the first chapter. It may have actually been better as a chapter or two in a larger book about the spectrum of human emotions, ranging from boredom to, what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls, "flow" (or the act of being fully engaged in a task or "in the zone" as some people say).

Overall, an interesting concept, but not a very good 200-page book.

[Sokcheng · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book is better called Boredom: A Lively Western History. I admittedly screamed out of frustrated boredom at many of the early chapters. The irony of experiencing acute boredom from this book on boredom did not escape me.

I have to say, no offense to the author, he obviously is a competent writer, able to make the reading plesant and he obviously did his research. it's just his research was not what I expected to find. I wanted the scientific and culturally relevant information regarding boredom and most importantly, how we, modern people, should approach boredom in this day and age. Instead, i got pages after pages of literary criticism and art lessons on what bored people looked like. The audacity to use only mostly western references as a total history of humankind's thoughts on boredom also threw me off. I'm pretty sure the East has said as much about the subject. But then again, I digress.

Only the last few chapters gave relevant information regarding boredom in the (near) modern age and scientific understandings, as well as some form of "cure" for boredom for which I am grateful.

All in all, good writing ability, but really boring contemplation on the west's history of boredom.

[Lynette Monteiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite the title, the only thing lively in this book is the free-floating logic and untethered definitions of boredom. Toohey seemed to have difficulty honoring his own definitions and opportunistically interpreted various art, fictional and real characters, and sundry quotes to fit his theory. Early promises to investigate the differences between existential and situational boredom (poorly defined as the latter was) were sloughed off in favor of attempts to be humorous. If Yale Publications commissioned this book-as Toohey claims-someone had more time than inspiration on their hands that day.

[Balloon Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was BOOOOORING!

[ukuklele · Rating 2 out of 5]

If disgust protects humans from infection, boredom may protect them from 'infectious' social situations: those that are confined, predictable, too samey for one's sanity. (halaman 17)

Saya membaca buku ini karena lagi--lagi-lagi--mengalami kebosanan, jadi kenapa tidak menyelaminya saja sekalian :V Beberapa cara pemecah kebosanan yang disebutkan dalam buku ini telah saya coba. Namun ujung-ujungnya kembali pada puncak itu lagi. Saya curiga yang saya alami memang bukan sekadar simple boredom melainkan existensial boredom. Saya pun baru ngeh bahwa mudah jengkel, marah-marah, hingga depresi sesungguhnya dapat disebabkan oleh kebosanan. Perilaku buruk lainnya akibat kebosanan adalah madat, minum-minum, selingkuh, dan seterusnya.

Boredom exists, I have argued, to provide an early warning signal that certain situations may be dangerous to our well-being. (halaman 174)

Kebosanan dapat menjadi pertanda baik, bisa jadi merupakan sinyal agar kita melakukan suatu perubahan. Dengan membaca buku ini, saya jadi memikirkan hal-hal yang disebutkan di dalamnya yang kemungkinan merupakan sebab-sebab dari kebosanan yang kerap saya alami. Saya sadari kebosanan adalah konsekuensi alamiah dari keadaan tertentu, yang tidak mudah dilepaskan begitu saja. Adakalanya kebosanan tidak terhindarkan. Apalagi bila timbulnya dari serangkaian aktivitas yang sebetulnya bukannya tidak berarti sama sekali, malah bisa jadi juga penting dan perlu. Makanya, tidak mudah untuk seketika mengubah suatu keadaan. Pada akhirnya, kebosanan menjadi latihan ketahanan atau ujian kesabaran yang telah digariskan untuk dijalani seseorang #tsaaah.

Kadang-kadang penulis buku ini lucu juga sih sehingga pembacaan tidak begitu membosankan :D Selain itu, banyak terselip apresiasi terhadap karya seni terutama novel dan lukisan, yang dapat dikaitkan dengan tema kebosanan. Di antaranya yang pernah saya baca dan kebetulan juga saya suka adalah Oblomov . Entah kenapa Things: A Story of the Sixties; A Man Asleep karya Georges Perec tidak dimasukkan juga, padahal penulis mengambil cukup banyak sumber Perancis.

Saya baca yang ISBN-nya 097-8300141108.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Toohey packs enough academic and philosophical insight into Boredom A Lively History that it always remains interesting.

Peter posits that a little, but not too much boredom is good for the human soul. That the Ennui of philosophers and thinkers throughout the ages add more importance to a necessary human emotion and a necessary part of human life.

He says that there is a difference between boredom, and waiting and that too much boredom does a lot of harm. He looks at the life experiences of prisoners and how they are never bored during the one hour of being let out of their cells.

He also examines people throughout history, from Romans and Edwardians, and how the current work-life balance allows for more boredom, because before the Industrial Revolution, people worked in the fields and in the factory from first light to dusk, and then spent time in the pubs and taverns spending what little money they had earned.

Toohey looks at how boredom manifests itself in the modern world, and how much time is spent on social media, endlessly and needlessly comparing ourselves to people that we have never met.

The book is an academic study, but it is not stuffy. It uses language and examples to put its point across, and it does it very well. The book is a good read, and full of insight into an emotion and an experience that links all of us together

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am probably a little biased in my review, considering that 1) the current research I'm doing is very closely related, and I find the entire subject endlessly fascinating; and 2) the very professor I'm working on said research with is the same guy who wrote this. However, though, I do have to say that I sincerely enjoyed this. Boredom is so interesting, and just reading about it puts so much of my life into perspective. I loved how many vastly different things Peter was able to connect in this, and I also loved his writing. Very simple and approachable, and he never used pretentious words when he didn't have to. A very good book for anyone looking to get into this subject!

[Deniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eğlenceli tarihi ibaresini gördüğümde çok da umursamayıp pazarlama için söylenmiş alelade bir ibare olarak düşünmüştüm. Oysa kitap son sayfasına kadar hayretler içerisine düşürüp her ne kadar konusu sıkılmakla ilgili olsa da sıkılmanıza bir an olsun fırsat tanımıyor. :) Can sıkıntısı, melankoli hatta depresyon, bunalım gibi konulara ilgiliyseniz neden bu kitabı daha önce görmediğinizi düşüneceğiniz harika bir kitap.

[Umitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabın ilk yarısına 1, ikinci yarısına 5 puan vererek ortalama 3 uygun gördüm:) Makale tadında, kaynaklara dayalı ve bilimsel içerikli, can sıkıntısı boylamsal ele alan, tarihte yer alan sanatçılar ve sanat eserleri (özellikle tablolar) üzerinden yorumlayan güzel bir kitap. Akademik yazın Yöntemlerine alışık olmayanı sıkabilir.

[Harshit Negi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good meditation on the presence of boredom throughout western literature. The author has the thesis that boredom was not an invention of our modern age but instead could be found throughout ancient times. He quotes philosophers, scientists and novelists in equal regard. It makes pleasant reading to relief you of the subject that it concerns.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alweer wegvallen review. Matig interessant boek. Auteur schrijft toe naar eigen meningen. Veel herhaling, veel hypotheses met beperkte onderbouwing, veel op 1 hoop gooien. Saai boek. Flink aantal vrouwonvriendelijke opvattingen

[ilayda_metis]

okurken yazarın bu kitap için ne kadar araştırma yaptığı ve bir sürü şeye değinmesi beni etkiledi ama konusundan mı nedir aşırı sıkıldım… yakın zaman içinde okumak istediğim ya da okuduğum kitaplara değinmesi de güzel bir detaydı

[Kanika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read about the history of boredom, with ample exploration into the art and science behind it. With writing that is accessible to all, I found this book highly engaging and very informative about the topic.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at various types of boredom and its overall history. Existential boredom seems to be a bigger problem today than ever before, that's for sure!

[Ali El Rez]

I am happy to find out that what I suffer from has a fancy name: existential boredom.

[Sonia Jarmula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good food for thought in a time where every day is Groundhog Day.

[Erica Guzzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weirdly fun up until the last two and a half chapters when the author clearly has no idea what they're talking about. Dove headfirst into a field they have, it seems, little academy competence in.

[Karolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

interdyscyplinarne opowieści o nudzie - cenne aspekty psychologiczne, literackie, kulturowe, biologiczne. stricte historycznych - malutko

[Domi Capdebo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Booooooooooring

[Johanne]

Written in 2011 but it was still jarring to see the author speak of ADHD as if it was only a children's disorder.

Gave up when he started using book and movie plots to prove his points.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is my comment in my Spanish Blog:

http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com/2...

This is a book that tries to describe the emotion of boredom. It goes far back in the past and the arts and shows different depictions of it in literature; painting and other arts. I was trying to figure out what boredom is; because to me it is yet a mystery. I don't understand what it is or why it is so bad. The book succeeds on covering every aspect of how it is depicted through history; but it doesn't quite describe it at all. At the end of the day; I think that boredom is just a subjective matter that is not possible to describe or even talk about; and this book seems to be a proof of that.

[Alistair · Rating 3 out of 5]

it would be easy to say that this was boring but it was interesting if not thrilling
he distinguishes between situational boredom as in being in an office meeting or a wet winter sunday afternoon sort of boredom and existential boredom which is more like longterm depression
the writer being a professor of classics there are rather a lot of classical references .
once you get the drift it becomes a litle repetitive but on the whole it is a not too pop philosophy and thought provoking read .

[The Book : An Online Review at The New Republic]

TWO MILLIGRAMS OF The Big B, the doctor will say not so long from now after you have come in for relief from the Theme Park Adventure that is your life. It will cure what ails your restless iPodded, iPadded, and Kindled existence. Boredom, which begins, as Walter Benjamin put it, when “we don’t know what we’re waiting for,” is now a solution, not a problem. Read more...

[Damon Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toohey makes boredom sexy. His crisp, conversational prose is untainted by jargon or pretence. His arguments display impressive erudition: history, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and aesthetics all get a guernsey. If good writing requires authorial boredom, Toohey was undoubtedly tortured by tedium while writing this sharp, humane and funny book.

Read the full review here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/...