Is boredom good for you?

Boredom is neither intrinsically beneficial nor intrinsically harmful. As an affective experience, boredom regulates the manner in which we cognitively engage with the world. It can motivate us to pursue more creative or meaningful activities, but it can also lead us to a host of maladaptive and harmful actions. For more in-depth analyses on this issue, consider the following papers: The Good of Boredom , The Bright Side of Boredom , and The Value and Nature of Boredom .

Publications — Andreas Elpidorou

Journal Issues

for edited books go here

3. “Neglected Emotions.” Special issue of The Monist, 2020.

2. “The Character of Physicalism.” Special issue of Topoi, 37 (3), 2018.

1. “The Phenomenology and Science of Emotions.” Special issue of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 2015. (guest co-editor with Lauren Freeman)

Articles & Book Chapters

46. Danckert, J. & A. Elpidorou. “In search of boredom: Beyond a functional account.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

45. Elpidorou, A. “Jadedness: A philosophical analysis.” Philosophical Studies, 2023.

44. Elpidorou, A. “Boredom and Cognitive Engagement.” Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 2023.

43. Elpidorou, A. “El peso existencial en la paradoja de aburrirse.” Revista de Occidente, 2023.

42. Elpidorou, A. & J. Gibson. “Really Boring Art.” Ergo, 2022.

41. Elpidorou, A. “Boredom, as a concept in phenomenology.” Encyclopedia of Phenomenology, Springer.

40. Elpidorou, A. "The Nature and Value of Boredom.” In the Routledge International Handbook of Boredom, edited by M. Bieleke, W. Wolff, and C. Martarelli. Routledge, in press.

39. Elpidorou, A. & G. Dove. “Keeping it Real: Research Program Physicalism and the Free Energy Principle.” TOPOI, 2023.

38. Elpidorou, A. “Précis: Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead Us to the Good Life.” Journal of Philosophy of Emotion 3 (2): 1-9, 2022.

37. Elpidorou, A. “Replies to Contesi, Hardcastle, Pismenny, and Gallegos.” Journal of Philosophy of Emotion 3 (2): 44-77, 2022.

36. Elpidorou, A.“Boredom and Poverty: A Theoretical Model.” In The Moral Psychology of Boredom, edited by A. Elpidorou. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.

35. Elpidorou, A. “The Moral Significance of Boredom: An Introduction.” In The Moral Psychology of Boredom, edited by A. Elpidorou. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.

34. Elpidorou, A.“Boredom, Human Psychology, and Immortality.” American Philosophical Quarterly, 58 (4): 259-372, 2021. [Email me for a copy.]

33. Elpidorou, A., & J. Ros Velasco. “Philosophy of Boredom.” Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy, 2021.

32. Dove, G., & A. Elpidorou. “A Dilemma about the Mental.” Organon F, 28 (4): 867-895, 2021.

31. Elpidorou, A. “Is Boredom One or Many? A Functional Solution to the Problem of Heterogeneity.” Mind & Language, 36 (3): 491-511, 2021.

30. Elpidorou, A. “Neglected Emotions.” The Monist, 103 (2): 135-146, 2020.

29. Freeman, L., & A. Elpidorou. “Fear, Anxiety, and Boredom.” In The Routledge Handbook of Phenomenology of Emotions, edited by T. Szanto & H. Landweer. New York: Routledge, 2020.

28. Elpidorou, A., & L. Freeman. “Is Profound Boredom Boredom?”. In Heidegger on Affect, edited by C. Hadjioannou. New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2019.

27. Elpidorou, A. “On Affect: Function and Phenomenology.” Humana.Mente, 11(34), 155-184, 2018.

26. Elpidorou, A."The Bored Mind is a Guiding Mind." Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 17 (3): 455-584. doi:10.1007/s11097-017-9515-1.

25. Elpidorou, A. "The Good of Boredom." Philosophical Psychology, 31 (3): 323-351, 2018.

24. Elpidorou, A. "Boredom in Art." Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40: e359. doi:10.1017/s0140525x17001674.

23. Elpidorou, A. "Emotions in Early Sartre: The Primacy of Frustration." Midwest Studies in Philosophy, xli: 241-259, 2018.

22. Elpidorou, A. “Introduction: The Character of Physicalism.” Topoi, 37: 435-455, 2018. doi: 10.1007/s11245-017-9488-2

21. Elpidorou, A. "The Moral Dimensions of Boredom: A Call for Research." Review of General Psychology, 21 (1): 30-48, 2017.

20. Dove, G., & A. Elpidorou. "Embodied Conceivability: How to Keep the Phenomenal Concept Strategy Grounded". Mind & Language, 31 (5): 580-611, 2016.

19. Elpidorou, A. “Horror, Fear, and the Sartrean Account of Emotions." The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 54(2): 209-225, 2016.

18. Elpidorou, A.“Seeing the Impossible.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 74 (1): 11-21, 2016.

17. Elpidorou, A. "A Posteriori Physicalism and Introspection.“ Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 97(4): 474-500, 2016.

16. Elpidorou, A. "The Bright Side of Boredom." Frontiers in Psychology, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01245.

15. Elpidorou, A. "The Embodied and Social Dimensions of Free Will: The Value of Phenomenology." AJOB, Neuroscience 6(2): 1-2, 2015.

14. Elpidorou, A. “Phenomenal Concepts.” in Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy, edited by D. Pritchard. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.

13. Freeman, L. & A. Elpidorou. “Affectivity in Heidegger II: Temporality, boredom, and beyond”. Philosophy Compass.

12. Elpidorou, A., & L. Freeman. “Affectivity in Heidegger I: Moods and emotions in Being and Time.” Philosophy Compass, 1-11, 2015.

11. Elpidorou, A.“The significance of boredom.” In Philosophy of Mind and Phenomenology, edited by. D. Dahlstrom, A. Elpidorou, and W. Hopp (pp. 268 – 283). New York: Routledge, 2015.

10. Dahlstrom, D., Elpidorou, A., & W. Hopp. “Introduction.” In Philosophy of Mind and Phenomenology, Edited by. D. Dahlstrom, A. Elpidorou, and W. Hopp. New York: Routledge, 2015

9. Elpidorou, A., & L. Freeman. “The phenomenology and science of emotions: an introduction”. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 13 (4): 507-11, 2014.

8. Elpidorou, A. “Blocking the A Priori Passage.” Acta Analytica 29 (3): 285 – 307, 2014.

7. Elpidorou, A. “Reasoning About the Mark of the Cognitive: A Response to Adams and Garrison.” Minds and Machines, 24: 201- 211, 2014.

6. Elpidorou, A. “Having It Both Ways: Consciousness Unique, But Not Otherworldly.”Philosophia, 41 (4): 1181 – 1203, 2013.

5. Elpidorou, A. “Moods and Appraisals: How the Phenomenology and Science of Emotions Can Come Together.” Human Studies, 36 (4): 565-591, 2013.

4. Elpidorou, A. “The ‘New Mind’ Revisited or Minding the Vehicle/Content Distinction: A Response to Manzotti and Pepperell.” AI & Society, 28 (4): 461-466, 2013.

3. Elpidorou, A. “Are Phenomenal Concepts Perspectival?” Southwest Philosophy Review, 28 (1): 43-53, 2012.

2. Elpidorou, A. “Where’s My Mind?” Avant. The Journal of Philosophical-Interdisciplinary Vanguard, 3, 2012 (1) (also published in polish as: “Gdzie jest mój umysł?” in Avant, 3).

1. Elpidorou, A. “Imagination in Non-representational Painting.” In Reading Sartre: On Phenomenology and Existentialism, edited by J. Webber (pp. 15-30). London: Routledge, 2012.

Reviews & Conference Proceedings

8. Elpidorou, A. “Christopher Hill’s Meaning, Mind, and Knowledge.” The Philosophical Review, 127 (2): 264-268.

7. Elpidorou, A. “Ted Honderich: Actual Consciousness.” Analysis, 75(4): 682-684.

6. Elpidorou, A. “Istvan Aranyosi: The Peripheral Mind.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, 2015.

5. Elpidorou, A. “The Oxford Handbook of ContemporaryPhenomenology (ed. D. Zahavi).”Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, 2013.

4. Elpidorou, A. “Mark Rowlands: The New Science of the Mind.” Philosophical Psychology, 25 (5), 2012: 771-4.

3. Elpidorou, A. “Robert D. Rupert: Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind.” Minds and Machines, 21 (1), 2011, 107-13.

2. Elpidorou, A. “Alva Noë: Out of our Heads.” Minds and Machines, 20 (1), 2010, 155-9.

1. Elpidorou, A. “The Upsurge of Spontaneity and the Rise of an Undivided Subject: The Role and Place of Merleau-Ponty in the Dreyfus-Mcdowell Debate.” in In/visibility: Perspectives on Inclusion and Exclusion, ed. L. Freeman. Vienna: Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen Junior Visiting Fellows’ Conference. vol. xxiv, 2009.

Popular writing

6. Elpidorou, A. “Work is Boring-Use it.” Zocalo Public Square.

5. Elpidorou, A. “What Happens if an AI Gets Bored?” Scientific American.

4. Elpidorou, A. “Boredom and Injustice.” Blog of the APA.

3. Elpidorou, A. “A Pandemic of Boredom.” Oxford University Press Blog.

2. Elpidorou, A. “Boredom’s push.” Oxford University Press Blog.

1. Elpidorou, A. “The quiet alarm.” Aeon magazine.

Works in Progress

Monograph

The Anatomy of Boredom.

Articles & book chapters

something on how to distinguish boredom from frustration
something on the function of boredom (again)
something on predictive coding and boredom
something about boredom in the phenomenological tradition
a chapter on the value of boredom
…