Let’s love boredom! Boredom as an alternative to the overstimulated world oftoday’s youth in the context of capacity development

Abstract

This article addresses the topic of boredom in the context of skill development, presentingan analysis of the subject literature that presents boredom ambiguously. On one hand, itis depicted as an inhibitor of abilities and a threat to well-being and mental health, and onthe other, as a potentially positive element in the education and development of the gifted.The analysis focuses on various definitions and classifications of boredom, presenting it asa multidimensional phenomenon that can have both negative and positive impacts on thecondition of the gifted student. Modern youth live in conditions of stimulus overload, mainlydue to the digital world, which affects their social, psychological, and physical well-being.The intensity of emotions and fears amongst the young related to living on social media hasnever been so intense. The results of the discussed studies indicate that boredom can serve asa free space for deeper self-knowledge, a space for the free flow of thoughts, self-reflection,and creative thinking, contrasting with the negative aspects of continuous stimulation. Thearticle concludes that there may be a third way beyond killing or dying of boredom. A newperspective on the use of boredom in the educational context suggests that boredom can beappreciated and utilised as a catalyst for the development of the gifted student instead ofeliminating it. The article encourages breaking away from conventional approaches to giftededucation, exploring and accepting boredom as an integral part of the learning and developmentprocess, and offering an alternative to the stimulus-saturated world.