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With the entire internet and more at our fingertips, it can be easy to fend off the discomforts of boredom. However, all the boredom-killing clicking, scrolling and swiping is hooking us on quick hits of serotonin, raising our boredom threshold and leaving us ever in search of the next Angry Birds level or Facebook ‘like’. In this brief animation, the UK psychologist and author Sandi Mann explores how embracing boredom and letting our minds wander can get us to step off the ever-accelerating hedonic treadmill, and might even encourage creativity.
Video by BBC Reel
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Nature and landscape
Take a serene hike through an ancient forest, inspired by a Miyazaki masterpiece
6 minutes
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Spirituality
Trek alongside spiritual pilgrims on a treacherous journey across Pakistan
6 minutes
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Meaning and the good life
The world turns vivid, strange and philosophical for one plane crash survivor
16 minutes
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Art
Inside the unique creative space where ‘outsider’ artists find their form
14 minutes
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Gender
When aggression is viewed as brilliance, it hurts women in science, and science itself
5 minutes
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Religion
From God’s shoes to satellites in heaven – children weigh in on religion
8 minutes
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Technology and the self
Why we should worry less about ‘sentient’ AIs and more about what we’re teaching them
16 minutes
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Sleep and dreams
How might the dreamworlds of other animals differ from our own?
8 minutes
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Home
Whether above a pub or in a castle, our childhood homes leave an indelible mark
15 minutes