Can you die of boredom? YES!!!

Boredom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You have probably heard of boredom being used as a method of torture, but that is not what I am talking about here today. You probably won't keel over randomly one day when you are "bored to death." Sorry to burst you bubble if you were hoping to use this as a reason for skipping a lecture or two.

Let's look at what is really going on.

Annie Britton and Martin J. Shipley at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health studied a survey that was taken by some civil servants from 1985 and 9188. This study measured their levels of boredom and when they came back in 2009 they wanted to see how many of the civil servants were still alive. They found that those who reported being bored were 37 percent more likely to have passed away in that time frame.

What could cause this increase? Well what do people do when they are bored? They take on bad habits such as excessive drinking, eating fatty foods, smoking cigarettes, and doing drugs. When people have jobs at which they are bored at they feel unfulfilled, unmotivated, and this can lead to depression and other disorders. With bad habits and potential psychological disorders, people are more likely to develop high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. These kill people.

What can you do? Not everyone lands the perfect job.

The best thing these people can do is to keep trying. I'm not saying quit your job and move on to something better. Just keep applying for other, more interesting jobs while you are financially stable. Remember that you need an income that can support you. In the meantime, pick up some hobbies and make sure you have a healthy lifestyle. Find enjoyment outside of your work life.  Unfortunately most of us end up in this situation at one point while we are working our way into a career path. We just need to find that balance to keep ourselves happy and healthy.

Sources

• Edwards, Lin. (2010) Bored to death? It's possible. PhysOrg.com. (August 8, 2013) http://phys.org/news184916879.html
• Conger, Cristen. (2008) Can you die of boredom? HowStuffWorks.com. (August 8, 2013) http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/bored-to-death.htm
• Gosline, Anna. (2008) Bored to Death: Chronically Bored People Exhibit Higher Risk-Taking Behavior. Scientific American. (August 8, 2013) http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-science-of-boredom
• Cheng, Maria. (2010) Being Bored To Death Really Is Possible, Study Shows. HuffingtonPost.com. (August 8, 2013) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/being-bored-to-death-real_n_453156.html