The capacity for being comfortably alone with yourself...is essential to the capacity for a comfortable relational life.
Lean into Boredom
Setup
While the act of spacing out has long been attributed to fueling creativity, many of us are downright uncomfortable with being bored. In fact, a prominent social science study reveals that a surprising number of people would rather be electrically shocked than left alone with their thoughts. Add a constant stream of updates, texts, and other technological distractions to an already tense relationship, and it can feel like we’re doomed. What is the connection between boredom and original thinking? How we can harness boredom’s hidden benefits to become our most productive selves? How do we reclaim the lost art of doing nothing?
- 2017 Festival
- Society
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Society
Young people in America are struggling. The causes are varied and may not be entirely clear, but the results are unfortunately unmistakable. Many of our youth feel lonely, iso...
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New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks is known for bringing his thoughtful reflections on politics and culture, but at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival,...
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Henry Louis Gates Jr. — one of America’s leading public intellectuals and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard — explains the i...
A nonbinary comedian challenges us to question our notions of self, gender and society, and opens our eyes to what we may gain in the process.
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The rollback of reproductive rights, the push to end no-fault divorce, and gun laws that allow domestic abusers to own a firearm are turning the clock back on women’s rights....
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With ESG caught in the political culture wars, business executives must decide to speak up or stay quiet about climate, diversity and democracy. What do employees and citizens...
Marriage rates have been decreasing for decades, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t finding new ways to create family ties that bind. Family bonds in the LGBTQ community and...