The Magical Wonders of a Bored Brain
The plague of 1665 surged through England, taking countless lives. Twenty-two-year-old Isaac Newton, a Cambridge University student, fled college for his family farm to self-quarantine by himself. One day, during a profound bout of boredom, he saw an apple fall from a tree. Suddenly, he realized some powerful force had made it fall perpendicular to the ground, not sideways or diagonally. His mind then made the connection that this same powerful force applied to things on earth as well as to the stars and beyond.
Newton’s boredom led him to develop the laws of gravity. He spent eighteen months in quarantine, and instead of scorning his boredom, he embraced it. During this time, he also invented calculus and developed the laws of optics. His isolation is known as the “Year of Wonders,” because no other human being has made so many profound discoveries in such a short period of time.
Three hundred years later, a single mother in England was stuck on a train for four hours. Overcome with boredom, her mind wandered into a fantasy world which she desperately wanted to write about, but she had no working pen. Instead of panicking, she let her mind transition to the daydream state. She envisioned a magical realm we know as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. She, of course, is J.K. Rowling. Just as Rowling’s boredom on the train led her mind to transition into an enchanted realm, her characters had to transition from our world to their magical realm by catching the Hogwarts Express at platform 9¾ at King’s Cross train station.
How many times have you said, “I’m bored.” Boredom creates a mental void that humans instinctively feel must be filled. When you’re bored, do you immediately pop in earbuds to blast music so you can’t hear yourself think? Do you pull out your phone to check email, social media, or to play a game when you’re in a waiting room, in an elevator, or standing in line?
Most people feel that boredom is a plague that needs to be avoided at all costs. High-tech corporations have certainly identified this basic human need, which has led to the development of numerous technological distractions such as ear buds, cell phones, computers, radio, television, and every type of gadget just to fill the moments of quiet we call boredom.
When you don’t disrupt boredom with electronically generated distractions, the brain naturally fills this void with thought processes which allow you to confront issues and problems which require a solution. These thoughts may take you mentally back in time to a negative memory. While the process may be initially disturbing, this can also open the door to finding a resolution for the depression and sadness generated by this memory. Perhaps it will lead you to a problem, the solution of which has evaded you. But you would not have found these solutions if you had filled your mind with every form of distraction just to eliminate boredom.
When I finished the manuscript for my last book, my publisher and I were searching for the right title. Nothing came to either of us. Frustrated, I sat at my computer mired in writer’s block. I needed a break, so I shut off the computer and went for a walk on the beach to clear my head. As I walked along the sea, the fresh salt air filled my lungs. My eyes relaxed as I gazed at the horizon, the sky filled with pink, purple, and white clouds. Soothing waves of the shore break lapped at my feet, which reveled in the warm seawater and the texture of beach sand. My cares faded as I drifted into that bored/daydream state. Gently, a few thoughts came to me, “This book is about frequency and the afterlife; call it ‘The Afterlife Frequency.’”
That was it! I rushed home and checked the internet for any book with that title. Finding none, I called the publisher’s executive editor. “I have the title, ‘The Afterlife Frequency.’” She paused, then replied, “I LOVE IT.”
Boredom isn’t negative. In a society where we have instant access to mental gratification, information, and stimuli, we have villainized boredom, even though it is really our friend. The brain is actually designed to be bored, so it can go into what researchers have termed the “default mode network” (DMN). While this may sound more like a term associated with computers, we must remember that the human brain is the most sophisticated computing device known. While AI (artificial intelligence) can access a billion data points instantly, making it vastly faster than our brain at retrieving data, we must also keep in mind that it was the human brain which created and designed AI.
According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic Health System and Harvard Business Review, the DMN removes the mental dust and psychological cobwebs. This enables the brain to enter into the daydream state, enabling it to make connections to the vast array of information, emotions, and memories swirling around in our brain. Sometimes these connections take us to memories of events we don’t like, painful associations from childhood, or the loss of a relationship or loved one. But according to Dr. Heather Lench of Texas A&M University, this is not always a negative thing. These associations allow you to discover the source of emotional pain and sadness, and by acknowledging these feelings, you can add perspective on how to minimize their effect on you.
Just because we’re not constantly being fed a stream of information, activity, sounds, and stimulation does not mean the brain is ever turned off. During boredom, the brain emits dopamine, which triggers creative thoughts. That’s why boredom is essential for creativity, because this detached daydream state is when eureka moments occur. Constant data bombardment and sensory input prevent us from going into this very essential DMN.
Blocking boredom inhibits you mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Boredom shifts your brainwave frequency into a meditative state, which makes you more sensitive to the presence of spirits. In my book “The Afterlife Frequency,” I explain how to become more receptive to spiritual messages by letting the mind wander into this meditative daydream state.
Japanese Zen Buddhists, who are masters of meditation, have a saying, “inaction is action.” To experience the magical wonders of boredom requires a call to action—or rather, inaction. Since your brain is already wired to go into the default mode network of boredom, you are already equipped to do so. Start with “The 60 Second Sabbatical.”
Next time you’re in an elevator or just standing somewhere, put your phone away. Allow your mind to drift for those brief moments. You may be surprised at the perspectives and insights that come to you.
Then graduate to the “Analog Hour.” This is where you don’t have any electronic stimuli or auditory input when you’re doing repetitive or routine tasks like folding clothes, doing the dishes, or sitting in a waiting room. Just let your brain be. The myriad thoughts and feelings that come to you are an adventure that can lead to amazing revelations. That is why some of the greatest ideas in history came from a bored brain. And who knows? Maybe the next great idea to benefit humanity will be the product of your bored brain.
“Blocking boredom inhibits you mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.”
-Mark Anthony, JD, Psychic Explorer®
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