你有没有感到闷得发慌的时候？工作太辛苦会让人身心俱疲，但专家指出，长期感到无聊也会危害健康，让人产生倦怠感。

 

How bored are you? Having nothing to do, or doing the same task again and again, can certainly be demotivating. And if boredom¹ persists, you can lose your lust² for life, and it can even affect your mental health. But does being bored have to be boring?

 

A lack of stimulation³ can lead to boredom – this is when we start to yawn and our mind wanders. It can happen at home or at school, but it's at work where some experts think being chronically⁴ bored can have damaging consequences. This situation has been termed 'boreout' and is the opposite of 'burnout'. Writing for BBC Worklife, Bryan Lufkin says this happens "when we are bored by our work to the point that we feel it is totally meaningless. Our job seems pointless, our tasks devoid⁵ of value." It can be caused by working in a demoralising physical environment or feeling under-challenged. Studies show depression from boreout can affect workers outside the office and lead to physical ailments⁶ from insomnia⁷ to headaches. But Bryan adds that "being able to identify it in us, is critical for tackling it."

 

When it becomes mind-numbing and extreme, some people joke about 'dying of boredom'. According to Luis Villazon, writing for the Science Focus website, boredom is just a state of mind which won't kill you, though it can depress the immune system in some people. He says "The greatest risk from boredom stems from the things you do to combat it. People who are easily bored are more likely to engage in dangerous sports [...]", for example. But some experts say boredom is a natural thing and it should be seen in a more positive light. If we see it as an opportunity, it could ignite our creativity. And if our boredom is at work, it could force us to engage with mentors⁸, career counsellors or even our bosses. And Lotta Harju from EM Lyon Business School told the BBC, "boreout can mark a transition into something else: a different career entirely⁹, or a different role in the organisation¹⁰. If people only take its cue."

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