Why do we get bored?

Why do we get bored?

Up next

The CrowdScience quiz of the year

In 2025, the crack team of intrepid presenters here on CrowdScience have been on some incredible adventures. They’ve wondered whether water is wet, and gone a hunt for a missing tangerine. They’ve wondered why animals swallow rocks, imagined what would happen if the earth spun ba ...  Show more

How do we adapt to the cold?

When some people are wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt, others are wrapped up in warm coats and jumpers. How come our responses to cold weather are so different? People have been living in cold environments for thousands of years. So why do some of us struggle with the col ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

Encore: Why boredom is surprisingly interesting, with Erin Westgate, PhD
Speaking of Psychology

We’re taking a holiday break, so we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from this past year. Back in the spring we talked to University of Florida psychologist Erin Westgate about the surprisingly fascinating topic of boredom. What is boredom? Is it always bad to be bored? ...  Show more

Why Do We Dream?
Discovery

Adventures in Dreamland "Why do we dream and why do we repeat dreams?" asks Mila O'Dea, aged 9, from Panama.Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford delve into the science of sleep. From a pioneering experiment on rapid eye movement sleep, to a brand new 'dream signature' found in the brai ...  Show more

Bonus Episode: The Most Boring Podcast Ever (Or, What to Do With Yourself During COVID-19) with Erin Westgate, PhD
Speaking of Psychology

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January. By March, most of us had been strongly advised – if not ordered -- to keep at least 6 feet away from other people in public and pretty much to confine ourselves to our homes. Since many of our regular act ...  Show more

The Case of The Missing Gorilla
Discovery

DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?Good! But how does that work!?Our intrepid science sleuths explore why some things immediately catch your eye - or ear - while others slip by totally unnoticed. Even, on occasion, basketball bouncing gorillas.Professor Polly Dalton, a psychologist who le ...  Show more