Description
Book SynopsisWhether we like it or not, boredom is a major part of human life. It permeates and affects our personal, social, practical, and moral existence. It shapes our world by demarcating the interesting and the meaningful from that which is not. And it sets us in motion insofar as its presence can give rise to a plethora of behaviors. Indeed, in its search for meaning, interest, and fulfillment, boredom straddles the line between the good and the bad, the beneficial and the harmful. In this volume, world-renowned researchers come together to explore a neglected but crucially important aspect of boredom: it’s relationship to morality. Does boredom cause individuals to commit immoral acts? Is the experience of boredom something that needs to be avoided at all costs? Does boredom make us worse people? Is it a problem or a solution? Can it be both? These and other questions are taken up and answered in the volume.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
The Moral Significance of Boredom: An Introduction
Andreas Elpidorou
- From Electric Shocks to the Electoral College: How Boredom Steers Moral Behavior
Meltem Yucel and Erin C. Westgate
- The Existential Sting of Boredom: Implications for Moral Judgments and Behavior
Eric R. Igou and Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg
- Boredom and the Lost Self
Shane W. Bench, Heather C. Lench, Yidou Wan, Kaitlyn Kaiser, and Kenneth A. Perez
- “Rage Spread Thin”: Boredom and Aggression
James Danckert
- Losing and Finding Agency: The Crisis of Boredom
John D. Eastwood and Dana Gorelik
- Boredom Mismanagement and Attributions of Social and Moral Costs
McWelling Todman
- Boredom and Poverty: A Theoretical Model
Andreas Elpidorou
- The Epistemic Benefits of Irrational Boredom
Lisa Bortolotti and Matilde Aliffi
- Boredom as Cognitive Appetite
Vida Yao
- Boredom, Interest, and Meaning in Life
Wendell O'Brien
- Parallels to Boredom in Non-human Animals
Rebecca K. Meagher and Jesse Robbins
- The Long Hard Road Out of Boredom
Josefa Ros Velasco
Index
About the Contributors
