Embracing this one dreaded emotion could be the key to career success

There are certain emotional states many of us actively avoid—sometimes at all costs. But one well-known applied positive psychologist says we need to actively embrace one of them to get “unstuck” and reach your goals.

It’s boredom.

Our need to keep ourselves occupied and entertained could be costly in more ways than one. An April 2024 survey by Empower found that boredom is a top emotional catalyst for unnecessary spending, triggering unnecessary spending in 25% of respondents.

Another study by University of Toronto researchers found that attempts to avoid feeling bored, like watching videos on social media, can backfire, leaving us feeling even more bored. And another study published earlier this year by researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that trying to dodge boredom at work can actually hurt future productivity.

The benefits of boredom

But this much-maligned state serves a purpose, too, says applied positive psychologist and CEO coach Caroline Adams Miller, author of Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life. Miller, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, says that when we are “bored,” we often do not challenge ourselves in the right way. But we also need downtime to allow new ideas to take root.

“Allowing your mind to wander can suddenly connect to two discrete thoughts that superficially don’t look connected. But it’s these disruptive solutions where you pair innovative ideas together that have the ‘edge effect,'” she says.

A little discomfort can pay off

When you’re trying to solve a thorny issue or have a goal that you’ve not been pursuing but you’ve thought about before, it’s a good time to get a little bored, Miller says. Get away from screens and let yourself just be for a while. Having some time when you’re not distracting yourself will give your mind time to wander, and that’s when the magic happens.

There’s some research bears this idea out. A series of studies published in the Academy of Management Journal in 2019 found that boredom helped boost individual productivity and increased creativity in people with high levels of learning goal orientation, need for cognition, openness to experience, and other factors.

Miller also recommends asking yourself new questions and using your strengths in new ways when you’re feeling bored to spark new thinking. “You can also prompt yourself with questions like, ‘Who believes in you?’ That simple question unleashes this powerful cocktail of chemicals in your body,” she says. Using questions to explore concepts with curiosity, especially in positive ways, can help you begin to make new connections and spark the ideas you seek.

“When you challenge yourself in a new way, novelty simulates the brain. You’re more likely to flourish, emotionally, be successful, and other people find you more magnetic, more authentic,” she says.