It’s winter break. Your friends are out of town. It’s snowing. The lights flicker.

    Uh-oh, you think.

    Then it happens: The power goes out.

    But wait—it gets worse. Your phone is about to die. You start to panic. No power and no phone means no Mario Kart or Fortnite. No TikTok, texting, or Disney+.

    You are going to be soooo bored.

    To most of us, a day of boredom sounds awful. But to many psychology experts, it sounds like a gift.

    Why? Humans need boredom.

    It’s the middle of winter break, and all your friends are out of town. A snowstorm is raging outside. Suddenly, the lights flicker.

    Uh-oh, you think.

    Then it happens: The power goes out.

    But wait—it gets worse. Your phone is about to die. You start to panic as you think about the long day stretching out ahead of you. No power and no phone means no Mario Kart, Fortnite, TikTok, texting, or Disney+.

    You are going to be soooo bored.

    To most of us, this sounds like a nightmare —but to many psychology experts, a day full of boredom doesn’t sound terrible at all. Instead, to them, it sounds like a gift.

    Why? Because believe it or not, humans need boredom.

    In the past, being bored was a fact of life. If no one was around at breakfast, you simply sat and ate your cereal. If you were early for the bus, you stood there and waited. On a long car trip, you stared out the window. Sometimes after school, you wondered what to do with yourself.

    It’s not that kids in the past enjoyed boredom. The difference is that today you don’t have to be bored.

    Many kids have activities every day after school—plus more on weekends. And for those in-between moments—standing in line, waiting for a ride—you have your phone. Apps like Snapchat and YouTube offer endless entertainment on the go.

    In the past, being bored was a fact of life. Alone at breakfast? You just sat and ate your cereal. Early for the bus? You stood there and waited. On a long car trip, you stared out the window. Sometimes after school, you wondered what to do with yourself.

    Today things are different. You don’t have to be bored.

    Many kids have activities every day after school. They have more on weekends. And when you are standing in line or waiting for a ride, you have your phone. Apps like Snapchat and YouTube offer endless entertainment on the go.

    Being bored was a fact of life in the past. If no one was around at breakfast, you simply sat and ate your cereal. If you were early for the bus, you stood there and waited. On a long car trip, you stared out the window. Sometimes after school, you wondered what to do with yourself.

    It’s not that kids in the past enjoyed boredom. The difference is that today you don’t have to be bored.

    Many kids have activities every day after school—plus more on weekends. And during those in-between moments—like standing in line or waiting for a ride—you can look at your phone. Apps like Snapchat and YouTube offer endless entertainment at your fingertips.

    Google “beat boredom.” You’ll get nearly 50 million hits. Clearly, humans don’t like boredom. So why do experts say we need it?

    The answer has to do with the brain.

    Your brain has different modes. They do different tasks. Most of the time, your brain is using what we’ll call the active mode. This mode helps you listen to your teacher, catch a ball, and cross the street. You use it to text, watch TV, and play video games too.

    But with nothing to do, your brain goes into default mode. Your mind wanders. You may daydream. You may think about what you’ve learned. The default mode helps you sort out your feelings after a fight with your brother. It helps you remember the joy of baking cookies with your grandma.

    The default mode is about introspection. It’s how we reflect on our day. It helps us learn from mistakes. It helps us make choices.

    Both brain modes are useful. But they can’t be used at the same time. Are you always on your phone? If so, you aren’t using the default mode. And it can get out of shape.

    Google “beat boredom,” and you’ll get nearly 50 million hits. Clearly, humans don’t like boredom—so why are experts saying we need more of it?

    The answer has to do with the brain.

    Your brain has different modes that perform different functions. Most of the time, your brain is using what we’ll call the active mode. This helps you listen to your teacher, catch a ball, and cross the street. It’s also what you use to text, enjoy television shows, and play video games.

    But with nothing to do, your brain shifts into default mode. In that mode, your mind wanders. You might daydream or think about something you’ve learned recently. The default mode helps you sort out your feelings after an argument with your brother, and it also helps you remember the pleasure of baking cookies with your grandmother.

    Essentially, the default mode is all about introspection. It’s how we consider our experiences, learn from mistakes, and make decisions about our futures.

    Both brain modes are important, but they can’t be used at the same time. If you’re constantly scrolling on your phone, for example, you aren’t giving the default mode any exercise—and it can get out of shape.

    The ability to do nothing is a skill. Without that skill, boredom can be painful. You might feel uncomfortable. You might be tempted to make bad decisions. Maybe I’ll ride my bike down the stairs. What could go wrong?

    But there’s good news: You can practice being bored. You can get good at it. Sandi Mann is an author. She wrote a book called The Science of Boredom. She says it’s not helpful to “swipe and scroll” our boredom away. She says we should embrace the moments when we have nothing to do.

    How? Leave your phone at home and take a walk. Lie in the grass and look at the clouds. Look out the window and watch the cars pass by.

    Maybe you’ll daydream about being a chef. Maybe you’ll get an idea for a cool invention. Maybe you’ll just enjoy a quiet moment.

    Be patient. Keep trying. It will get easier. Who knows? You might start making time for boredom every day.

    No power outage needed. 

    That said, the ability to do nothing is a skill. Without that skill, boredom can be pretty painful. You might feel uncomfortable. You might even be tempted to make unwise decisions. Maybe I’ll ride my bike down the stairs—what could go wrong?

    But the good news is that, as with any skill, you can practice being bored—and get good at it. Sandi Mann, the author of the book The Science of Boredom, says it’s not helpful to always “swipe and scroll” our boredom away. Instead, she suggests that we embrace the moments when we have nothing to do.

    How? Leave your phone at home and go for a walk, or lie in the grass and observe the clouds. You can even just look out the window and watch the cars pass by.

    Maybe you’ll daydream about becoming a chef. Maybe an idea for a clever invention will pop into your mind. Or maybe you’ll simply breathe and enjoy a quiet moment.

    Just be patient. The more you try, the easier it will get. Who knows? Before long, you might start carving out time to be bored every day.

    No power outage necessary.