Boring

What causes the mind to feel that an experience is boring?

Why do some individuals find more situations boring, than others?

Pretty much everyone feels it at some times or another, and some people are more inclined to feel it more easily. But why does a lack of significant activity cause such a negative feeling of boredom? Boredom could be described as; the sense of lack of, yet desire for more, entertainment and interest. 

Perhaps a simple explanation is that the mind feels boredom as a negative aspect, because it desires the perception of more positive. If the mind is steered, in a way, by instinct and subconscious, and a major component is neurochemical reinforcement, then it seems to make sense that the mind strives for more positive reinforcement. This striving is likely similar to the concept of addiction (more detail, here; Addiction Affliction), and in some cases, chronic boredom could even be a case of addiction to entertainment. But what would cause some individuals to experience boredom more often, or to a more extreme degree?

Considering addiction as an example, certain individuals would likely have a pre-existing disposition to crave positive reinforcement more often from certain experiences which cause that reinforcement. 1 person might naturally crave positive reinforcement from mental stimulation of interest of learning or understanding, while another person might feel more positive reinforcement from resting, relaxing, or simple sensory perception (such as viewing art/ scenery, or listening to music). By this understanding, certain people would become much more bored than others, depending on their environment and circumstances. 

Overall mental function would likely be another significant factor. Whether a mind functions more on a subconscious or conscious basis, would likely play a large role in which scenarios would cause boredom. In my last post; Static State Stimulate I compared the likely differences between the subconscious and conscious mind at times when the environment is static, with little stimulation. It seems likely that a subconscious mind (such as an animal) can more easily remain in a low neurological activity state, when there is no stimulation (including instinctual drives, such as hunger). 

A conscious mind on the other hand, has much more potential for connections between details in memories, and therein more probability for continued high neural activity. With so many connections between aspects saved in memory, the mind will often continue thinking in a static environment. With ongoing neural activity, perhaps the mind often moves to memories of various past experiences involving positive aspects. If memories involving positive reinforcement are accessed, naturally the individual will desire to experience that again. Even though the thought process is conscious, this can still trigger a subconscious desire (besides conscious desire), if the person is unaware of which aspect of memory triggered the desire. This desire for an experience involving more positive reinforcement than current circumstances are causing, should be a good explanation for common boredom. 

There seems to be a spectrum of probability and degree that an individual will feel bored. This can be based on natural drive to receive positive reinforcement based on certain experiences, but also the basic function of the mind, and the capability or typical process to continue thinking while in a static environment. With continued memory access, may come positive memories and the drive to re-experience something less; Boring.