“I'm bored!”
How often have you said that? Probably today itself.
But here’s a wild question: would you rather sit quietly for 15 minutes… or give yourself an electric shock?
Believe it or not, in a famous Harvard study, most people picked the shock.
Yes — researchers asked participants to sit alone in a room with no phone, no book, no music, no distractions. They could only do one thing: think.
Or press a button that would deliver a mild electric shock.
The results were shocking (pun intended).
Two-thirds of men and one-fourth of women preferred to shock themselves rather than be alone with their thoughts.
That’s how uncomfortable silence has become.
The Fear of Being Alone with Our Thoughts
I understand this all too well. For nearly eight months last year, I lived on a farm — mostly alone. At first, it was unbearable. My mind kept searching for stimulation. I’d reach for my phone, hum random songs, or scroll through memories just to avoid the silence.
But slowly, I realized something. My best thoughts came not when I was busy, but when I was bored. When I had no input — no screens, no sounds, no distractions.
When I’d go on long walks without my phone, my mind finally began to clear. I started connecting dots I hadn’t seen before.
Why Boredom is Necessary
There’s a neuroscientific reason for this. It’s called the Default Mode Network — the part of your brain active when you’re not focused on anything specific.
This is where memory, imagination, and self-reflection live. It’s where your brain wanders and makes creative connections. It’s where you think about your past, visualize your future, and make sense of your life.
But here’s the problem: we rarely let it work anymore.
That Harvard study came out in 2014 — more than a decade ago. Since then, we’ve added hundreds of new ways to avoid boredom: social media, streaming platforms, short-form videos, infinite notifications.
The result? We’ve lost the ability to be still.
The 10-Minute Challenge
So, here’s a small challenge for you.
When you finish reading this, put your phone aside. Step out for a 10-minute walk. No music. No podcast. No scrolling.
Just you and your thoughts.
You might feel restless at first. That’s okay. Stay with it.
Because that moment when your mind finally quiets down — that’s when the real magic happens.
You might get a new idea. You might remember something meaningful. Or you might just feel a strange sense of peace you haven’t felt in a long time.
Try it. And when you’re back, ask yourself:
Did the silence scare you — or set you free?