Boredom Proneness and Self-Control as Unique Risk Factors in Achievement Settings

Bibliographic Data

ID15499399
AuthorsJhotisha Mugon (0000-0002-5225-0613, University of Waterloo, corresponding author), James Boylan (0000-0003-3089-8408, University of Waterloo), James Danckert (0000-0001-8093-066X, University of Waterloo)
Year2020
Volume17
Issue23
Pages9116-9116
Publication date2020-12-06
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph17239116
PMID33291292
OpenAlexW3112418321
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited63

The state of boredom arises when we have the desire to be engaged in goal pursuit, but for whatever reason we cannot fulfil that desire. Boredom proneness is characterized by both frequent and intense feelings of boredom and is an enduring individual difference trait associated with a raft of negative outcomes. There has been some work in educational settings, but relatively little is known about the consequences of boredom proneness for learning. Here we explored the unique contributions of boredom proneness, self-control and self-esteem to undergraduate self-reported higher grade point average (GPA). Within educational settings, prior research has shown self-control and self-esteem to be associated with better academic performance. In contrast, boredom proneness is associated with lower levels of self-control and self-esteem. Our analyses replicate those previous findings showing that self-control acts as a positive predictor of GPA. Importantly, we further demonstrated, for the first time, that boredom proneness has a unique contribution to GPA over and above the contribution of self-control, such that as boredom proneness increases, GPA decreases. We discuss potential mechanisms through which boredom proneness may influence academic performance

Boredom · Developmental psychology · Feeling · Self-control · Trait · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Mind wandering and attention · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology

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