How are boredom and stress related to impulsivity? Recent research at the University of Portsmouth has explored the relationship between high impulsivity and boredom to find what makes people rash and make unhealthy decisions.
Impulsivity is the tendency to act quickly without thinking about the consequences. It is linked with psychiatric disorders like ADHD, Bipolar disorder, Borderline personality disorder, and substance use disorder. Whereas Boredom is a state of restless dissatisfaction that makes an individual look for stimulation.
While the strong relationship between boredom and impulsivity is well-known, these two studies in new research clarify the role of stress in this connection. Published in Physiology & Behaviour, the research found that participants with high levels of impulsivity experienced increased boredom following a monotonous task. Furthermore, these individuals exhibited a significant release of cortisol, a stress hormone, indicating a greater physiological reaction to boredom.
In the first study, participants were involved in completing a boring task, and their feelings about the task were reported. The results backed the pre-existing evidence that impulsive individuals are more prone to boredom than others. The second study delved deeper, focusing on the physiological effects of boredom. The researcher monitored participants by collecting saliva samples before and after a similar boring task to measure cortisol, a hormone linked to stress. This study revealed that the boredom task activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which increases the level of stress hormones in the body during the task.
Dr. James Clay, lead author and researcher at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Dalhousie University said “These findings shed light on the biological reasons some individuals, particularly those with high impulsivity, find boredom more stressful than others. By identifying the trigger factor that influences the stress response, we can understand the causes and design targeted interventions to deal with the boredom and stress."
Dr. Matt Parker, a senior author and neuroscientist who specializes in the study of stress and works at the University of Surrey, said, “There is always a connection between impulsiveness and boredom, but the mechanisms behind the relationship are not clearly understood.” He also mentioned, “High-impulsive people are more likely to develop addictions over a lifetime.”
Juan Badariotti, co-author of the studies from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences explained the importance of the findings “Knowing the stress response links boredom with impulsivity brings us a step closer to developing potential solutions to break the cycle.”
This research also opens the door for creating behavioral therapies and stress-reduction techniques that address the biological triggers identified, potentially improving treatment outcomes for those struggling with impulsivity-related issues. By focusing on these stress responses, the study offers a path toward breaking harmful behavioral cycles and promoting healthier decision-making. The researchers of this study hope their work will inspire future research into potential interventions for breaking this cycle of boredom, stress, and impulsiveness and can develop more coping mechanisms for psychiatric disorders. Also, the author recommends future research should replicate the second study with a larger sample size. They also suggest measuring the participant's tendencies towards boredom and impulsiveness to gain more nuanced insights into how these traits influence stress responses.
This might mean becoming more conscious of these emotions as they come about and practicing mindfulness or taking short breaks to avoid acting before thinking, among other things, to help avoid stress. Also, some simple techniques, like organizing fun activities while at rest or practicing healthy ways of coping with boredom, help in curbing impulse responses.
Adopting a universal viewpoint toward the issue at hand reveals the extent to which such research can be directed toward enhancing, for instance, everyday decision-making, mental wellbeing, and even interaction among people. The scope of the research goes beyond only the psychiatric conditions of the respondents; it illustrates the universal trends of human behavior whereby controlling boredom and stress enables better decision making.
Reference: James M. Clay, Juan I. Badariotti, Nikita Kozhushko, Matthew O. Parker. HPA activity mediates the link between trait impulsivity and boredom. Physiology & Behavior, 2024; 284: 114637 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114637
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