Boredom

There is a basic level of activity required in the field of conscious awareness to maintain mental health. A lack of stimulation, quantitative or qualitative can (as indicated by sensory deprivation experiments) produce severe, disassociated and pathological mental states. Boredom, a milder form of deprivation, occurs when simple, undemanding, short-term tasks are repeated to the point of tedium. It may also be induced by rejection of stimuli based on a personal value system. In this state the individual is only partially aware of his surroundings and is barely conscious. There is loss of interest, wandering attention, low arousal; and working efficiency is impeded. A state in which it is not possible to stimulate the field of consciousness is pathological if involuntary. It may be achieved voluntarily, for example through meditation practices.