Phone use to cure boredom may harm people's mood

People who hate being bored are more likely to spend hours on their smartphones and may feel miserable as a result, new research suggests.

Academics at the University of Essex found some people actively sought to avoid boredom before it struck by reaching for their device.

However, after analysing data from more than 750 participants, they said this immediate distraction might come at an emotional cost.

Dr Wijnand van Tilburg, of the university's department of psychology, hoped the findings would help people to "cultivate healthier relationships" with their phones.

His team suggested by learning to tolerate boredom, rather than escape it, people could reduce their reliance on smartphones and develop healthier coping methods.

Van Tilburg said momentary boredom was not always something to be avoided as it could encourage reflection and curiosity.

"If we automatically turn to our phones the moment boredom appears, we may be reinforcing a cycle where we become less able to tolerate those quiet moments and more dependent on digital distraction," he added.

Researchers analysed data from participants across two studies, combining responses with real screen time tracking.

They found those who reported a stronger aversion to boredom were more likely to show signs of excessive or problematic phone use, and it might affect their mood.

The research, published in the Motivation and Emotion journal, suggested it was not just boredom itself driving behaviour, but how people felt about being bored.

"Our findings help us understand better the causes of excessive smartphone use, and how to cultivate healthier relationships with our electronic devices," van Tilburg added.

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