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.

videoTechnology and the self
Inside a tattoo parlour where hateful images are covered for free
11 minutes

videoWork
Like a cheery Sisyphus, Fred dismantles an industrial chimney one brick at a time
12 minutes

videoDemography and migration
The volunteers who offer a last line of care for migrants at a contentious border
30 minutes

videoConsciousness and altered states
How an artist learned to ‘co-live’ with the distressing voice in her head
6 minutes

videoLove and friendship
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13 minutes

videoLife stages
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videoConsciousness and altered states
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videoFamily life
A mother and child bond in an unusual prison visitation space in this poignant portrait
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videoFilm and visual culture
Space and time expand, contract and combust in this propulsive animation
5 minutes