What Did Ancient Humans Do When They Were Bored?

In one experiment, people chose to give themselves electric shocks rather than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. So what did ancient humans do with all their empty time — with no phones, no screens and no feeds? Archaeology, anthropology and neuroscience give a surprising answer: boredom may be one of the most productive feelings our species ever had. Every claim in this video is based on published research. All sources are listed below so you can check them yourself. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 Why you'd rather get shocked than be bored 01:05 Who had more free time? 02:03 An afternoon with nothing to do 02:58 A 35,000-year-old flute 04:07 Boredom is a signal 05:07 The boredom experiment 06:02 The trap in your pocket 07:29 What ancient humans did with boredom 📚 SOURCES 1. Wilson TD, Reinhard DA, Westgate EC, Gilbert DT, et al. (2014). Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind. Science 345(6192):75–77. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... 2. Dyble M, Thorley J, Page AE, Smith D, Migliano AB (2019). Engagement in agricultural work is associated with reduced leisure time among Agta hunter-gatherers. Nature Human Behaviour 3:792–796. https://www.nature.com/articles/s4156... 3. Wiessner PW (2014). Embers of society: Firelight talk among the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen. PNAS 111(39):14027–14035. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas... 4. Conard NJ, Malina M, Münzel SC (2009). New flutes document the earliest musical tradition in southwestern Germany. Nature 460:737–740. https://www.nature.com/articles/natur... 5. Danckert J, Eastwood JD (2020). Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom. Harvard University Press. 6. Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, et al. (2001). A default mode of brain function. PNAS 98(2):676–682. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas... 7. Mann S, Cadman R (2014). Does being bored make us more creative? Creativity Research Journal 26(2):165–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2014... 8. Killingsworth MA, Gilbert DT (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science 330(6006):932. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... Subscribe:    / @scribblewhyofficial   #history #psychology #boredom