Not really. At least according a study by Wilson et al. 2025 in Science.
In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative.
Likely people don’t like being left alone because they feel bored. Yet, a video by Arthur Brooks from Harvard Business Review argues that “You Need to Be Bored“.
The Wilson paper also argues for the benefits of meditation.
This may be why many people seek to gain better control of their thoughts with meditation and other techniques, with clear benefits. Without such training, people prefer doing to thinking, even if what they are doing is so unpleasant that they would normally pay to avoid it. The untutored mind does not like to be alone with itself.
Do you need more boredom in your life?
