Psychology says boredom doesn't always make you creative; it may be your mind's way of telling you it's time for a change

We've all heard the saying that boredom is the birthplace of creativity. Whether it's parents encouraging children to put away their screens or workers trying to find inspiration during a slow afternoon, the idea has become almost common wisdom. But psychology suggests the relationship isn't nearly that simple.

A 2024 scoping review published in Review of Education by Anke Zeißig and colleagues examined 27 empirical studies exploring the connection between boredom and creativity in educational settings. Instead of confirming that boredom reliably fuels creative thinking, the researchers found a much more nuanced picture, one marked by conflicting findings, differing research methods, and unanswered questions.

No consistent link between boredom and creativity

After reviewing the available evidence, the researchers concluded that scientific studies have yet to establish a consistent relationship between the two. Some experiments suggested boredom could encourage creative thinking, while others found the opposite. Several studies detected no meaningful association at all.

The review reported that among the studies examined:

• Five found a positive relationship between boredom and creativity.
  
• Seven reported a negative association.
  
• Twelve found no statistically significant relationship.
  
• Three produced contradictory findings.
  

Rather than pointing in one direction, the evidence remained divided.

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Why are the findings so different?

According to the review, one reason is that researchers have not measured boredom, or creativity, in the same way. The studies varied widely in how they defined boredom, whether they induced it experimentally or measured it through questionnaires, and how they assessed creativity. Some focused on creative thinking, while others examined creative performance or problem-solving.

The authors noted that these methodological differences make it difficult to compare findings or draw broad conclusions.

Boredom may be a signal that something needs to change

Rather than viewing boredom as an engine of creativity, some psychologists argue it functions more like an internal warning system.

In a February 2020 paper titled "Why Boredom Is Interesting," published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, Erin C. Westgate, a social psychologist at the University of Florida, argued that boredom is not simply an unpleasant emotion but an important psychological signal. According to Westgate's Meaning and Attentional Components (MAC) model of boredom, "the emotion of boredom signals deficits in attention and meaning," suggesting people become bored when they struggle to stay engaged with an activity or find it meaningful.

Westgate likens boredom to physical pain, writing: "Much like pain, it may not be pleasant, but boredom critically alerts us that we are unable or unwilling to successfully engage attention in meaningful activities." Rather than viewing boredom as inherently good or bad, she argues that "It is what we do with that signal that counts."

That perspective also helps explain why boredom does not automatically produce creative thinking. While it may motivate someone to seek a more engaging or meaningful activity, whether that response leads to creative work, procrastination, or something else depends on how the individual acts on that signal.