Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead Us to the Good Life

by Andreas Elpidorou

ONE OF KIRKUS' REVIEWS BEST BOOKS OF 2020    Discover the value of discontent and how boredom, frustration, and anticipation make our lives better.  Many of our endeavors--be it personal or communal, technological or artistic--aim at eradicating all traces of dissatisfaction from our daily lives. They seek to cure us of our discontent in order to deliver us a fuller and flourishing existence. But what if ubiquitous pleasure and instant fulfillment make our lives worse, not better? What if discontent isn't an obstacle to the good life but one of its essential ingredients? In  Propelled , Andreas Elpidorou makes a lively case for the value of discontent and illustrates how boredom, frustration, and anticipation are good for us. 
Weaving together stories from sources as wide-ranging as classical literature, social and cognitive psychology, philosophy, art, and video games, Elpidorou shows that these psychological states aren't unpleasant accidents of our lives. Rather, they illuminate our desires and expectations, inform us when we find ourselves stuck in unpleasant and unfulfilling situations, and motivate us to furnish our lives with meaning, interest, and value. Boredom, frustration, and anticipation aren't obstacles to our goals--they are our guides, propelling us into lives that are truly our own.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2020

About the author

A defender of boredom and other negative emotions, Andreas Elpidorou is a writer, ex-physicist, now Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, and, according to some (well, just one), "probably the most prolific and certainly one of the most interesting of the writers on the subject [of boredom] at present.” He specializes in the philosophical study of the mind and has published extensively on the nature of emotions (especially, boredom), consciousness, and cognition. He is best known for his work on the function and value of boredom. His work has been featured in articles in BBC News, Forbes, Nautilus, Nature, Fast Company, Vogue, Business Insider, and other places. He has made appearances both on the radio and television.

Visit Andreas’ website, http://elpidorou.net, and contact him with your questions and thoughts about emotions, the good life, and philosophy.