Is Boredom a Disease?
The causes, consequences, and cures of boredom.
Posted May 19, 2026 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk
Review of The Disease of Boredom : From Ancient Philosophy to Modern Psychology . By Josefa Ros Velasco. Princeton University Press. 232 pp. $32.
Drawing on verses from Proverbs, St. Augustine warned Christians, including those “who had escaped the dangers of ignorance and concupiscence,” to “watch out, for weariness and boredom may kill you.” When asked how saints spend their time in heaven, however, Augustine declared that “none of us must imagine it’s going to be so boring there.” Work will not be toilsome, nor rest slothful, and no one shall want. Joy and happiness will be fully realized, and “there shall be praise of God without surfeit and without stint.”
In The Disease of Boredom , Josefa Ros Velasco (a professor at Complutense University of Madrid and the founder and president of the International Society of Boredom Studies) draws on an army of clergy, philosophers, and writers from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, and Romantic eras to demonstrate that, contrary to popular belief, neither “pathologies” of boredom nor distinctions between different forms of it are modern creations. She then examines whether and when boredom should be labelled a disease, its dysfunctional and functional features, and how it has been and should be treated.
Ros Velasco tracks shifts in interpretations of the causes and symptoms of boredom. By the end of the Middle Ages, she notes, boredom had been secularized. Proponents of Romanticism described boredom as a soulful hunger to experience meaning in a world characterized by rigidity and oppression, and for some, a spur to creativity . In the industrial age, critics claimed that repetitive tasks left many people feeling trapped and bored.
In the 20th century, boredom appeared to be a universal experience. Millions of people sought relief in “the continuous shift of internal and external stimulation” offered by radio, television, movies, professional sports contests, and theme parks. For many consumers of mass culture, however, the pleasure turned to boredom because it didn’t demand independent thought or action.
These developments produced an unresolved tension. Boredom was defined as an individual pathology that called for treatment by healthcare specialists—and as a disorder generated by imperfections in culture and society.
Boredom, Ros Velasco points out, is now best understood as manifesting itself in four distinct, but at times overlapping forms, three of which are dysfunctional:
These days, most healthcare professionals focus on ameliorating the impact of dysfunctional boredom on individuals, whatever its causes. Not surprisingly, research seeking to link boredom to mental illness, personality disorders , and pathological behavior is proliferating. That said, Ros Velasco acknowledges that “there is no consensus on what boredom truly is and how it should be addressed.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM ), she adds, has not classified boredom as a standalone pathology.
For these reasons, and because she is apparently not a clinician or a laboratory scientist, Ros Velasco is cautious about recommending treatments. She suggests that therapies for entrenched situation-dependent boredom that cultivate a spirit of inquiry, self-reflection, and creative responses are better than medication , which provides only temporary relief and can have side effects. Since the symptoms of chronic boredom are the same, whether the root causes are endogenous or exogenous, it’s not always clear whether therapy , medication, or surgery should be prescribed.
For those of us who experience transient boredom, Ros Velasco endorses exercise of a right not to feel guilty while developing a catalogue of options for spending free time in ways that are more satisfying and meaningful. Along the way, Ros Velasco concludes, we might learn how to exploit as well as explore our boredom.
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Glenn C. Altschuler, Ph.D. , is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.