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Stone RA, Haycraft E, Blissett J, Farrow C. Utilising online paradigms to explore the effect of boredom and sadness on children's snack choice: The role of parental feeding practices and child temperament. Appetite 2024; 198:107366. [PMID: 38648954 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Emotional eating (EE) is defined as eating in response to negative emotions (e.g., sadness and boredom). Child temperament and parental feeding practices are predictive of child EE and may interact to shape child EE. Previous research has demonstrated that children eat more when they are experiencing sadness, however, boredom-EE (despite how common boredom is in children) has yet to be explored experimentally using remote methodologies. The current study explores whether feeding practices and child temperament interact with mood to predict children's snack selection in an online hypothetical food choice task. Using online experimental methods, children aged 6-9-years (N = 347) were randomised to watch a mood-inducing video clip (control, sadness, or boredom). Children completed a hypothetical food choice task from images of four snacks in varying portion sizes. The kilocalories in children's online snack choices were measured. Parents reported their feeding practices and child's temperament. Results indicated that the online paradigm successfully induced feelings of boredom and sadness, but these induced feelings of boredom and sadness did not significantly shape children's online food selection. Parental reports of use of restriction for health reasons (F = 8.64, p = .004, n2 = 0.25) and children's negative emotionality (F = 6.81, p = .009, n2 = 0.020) were significantly related to greater total kilocalorie selection by children. Three-way ANCOVAs found no evidence of any three-way interactions between temperament, feeding practices, and mood in predicting children's online snack food selection. These findings suggest that children's hypothetical snack food selection may be shaped by non-responsive feeding practices and child temperament. This study's findings also highlight different methods that can be successfully used to stimulate emotional experiences in children by using novel online paradigms, and also discusses the challenges around using online methods to measure children's intended food choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Stone
- School of Psychology and Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, College of Health & Life Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B47 ET, UK.
| | - Emma Haycraft
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
| | - Jacqueline Blissett
- School of Psychology and Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, College of Health & Life Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B47 ET, UK.
| | - Claire Farrow
- School of Psychology and Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, College of Health & Life Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B47 ET, UK.
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Lissak S, Ophir Y, Tikochinski R, Brunstein Klomek A, Sisso I, Fruchter E, Reichart R. Bored to death: Artificial Intelligence research reveals the role of boredom in suicide behavior. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1328122. [PMID: 38784160 PMCID: PMC11112344 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1328122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributed significantly to suicide assessment, however, our theoretical understanding of this complex behavior is still limited. Objective This study aimed to harness AI methodologies to uncover hidden risk factors that trigger or aggravate suicide behaviors. Methods The primary dataset included 228,052 Facebook postings by 1,006 users who completed the gold-standard Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. This dataset was analyzed using a bottom-up research pipeline without a-priory hypotheses and its findings were validated using a top-down analysis of a new dataset. This secondary dataset included responses by 1,062 participants to the same suicide scale as well as to well-validated scales measuring depression and boredom. Results An almost fully automated, AI-guided research pipeline resulted in four Facebook topics that predicted the risk of suicide, of which the strongest predictor was boredom. A comprehensive literature review using APA PsycInfo revealed that boredom is rarely perceived as a unique risk factor of suicide. A complementing top-down path analysis of the secondary dataset uncovered an indirect relationship between boredom and suicide, which was mediated by depression. An equivalent mediated relationship was observed in the primary Facebook dataset as well. However, here, a direct relationship between boredom and suicide risk was also observed. Conclusion Integrating AI methods allowed the discovery of an under-researched risk factor of suicide. The study signals boredom as a maladaptive 'ingredient' that might trigger suicide behaviors, regardless of depression. Further studies are recommended to direct clinicians' attention to this burdening, and sometimes existential experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Lissak
- The Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yaakov Ophir
- The Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- The Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence (CHIA), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Refael Tikochinski
- The Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Itay Sisso
- Cognitive Science Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eyal Fruchter
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Roi Reichart
- The Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Zolkepli IA, Tariq R, Isawasan P, Shamugam L, Mustafa H. The effects of negative social media connotations on subjective wellbeing of an ageing population: A stressor-strain-outcome perspective. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296973. [PMID: 38289938 PMCID: PMC10826960 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, users' privacy concerns and reluctance to use have posed a challenge for the social media and wellbeing of its users. There is a paucity of research on elderly users' negative connotations of social media and the way these connotations contribute to developing passive behaviour towards social media use, which, in turn, affects subjective wellbeing. To address this research vacuum we employed the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) approach to describe the evolution of passive social media use behaviour from the perspective of communication overload, complexity, and privacy. We conceptualized subjective wellbeing as a combination of three components-negative feelings, positive feelings, and life satisfaction. Negative and positive feelings were used to derive an overall affect balance score that fluctuates between 'unhappiest possible' and 'happiest possible'. The proposed research framework was empirically validated through 399 valid responses from elderly social media users. Our findings reveal that communication overload and complexity raise privacy concerns among social media users, which leads to passive usage of social media. This passive social media use improved the subjective wellbeing favourably by lowering negative feelings and raising positive feelings and life satisfaction. The findings also revealed that respondents' overall affect balance leans towards positive feelings as a consequence of passive social media use. This study contributes to the field of technostress by illuminating how the SSO perspective aid the comprehension of the way passive social media use influences the subjective wellbeing of its users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izzal Asnira Zolkepli
- School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Rehan Tariq
- School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Pradeep Isawasan
- College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, Seri Iskandar, Malaysia
| | - Lalitha Shamugam
- School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Hasrina Mustafa
- School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
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Ndetei DM, Nyamai P, Mutiso V. Boredom-understanding the emotion and its impact on our lives: an African perspective. FRONTIERS IN SOCIOLOGY 2023; 8:1213190. [PMID: 37456271 PMCID: PMC10342197 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1213190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David M. Ndetei
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Pascalyne Nyamai
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Victoria Mutiso
- Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
- World Psychiatric Association Collaborating Centre for Research and Training, Nairobi, Kenya
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Jangraw DC, Keren H, Sun H, Bedder RL, Rutledge RB, Pereira F, Thomas AG, Pine DS, Zheng C, Nielson DM, Stringaris A. A highly replicable decline in mood during rest and simple tasks. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:596-610. [PMID: 36849591 PMCID: PMC10192073 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01519-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Does our mood change as time passes? This question is central to behavioural and affective science, yet it remains largely unexamined. To investigate, we intermixed subjective momentary mood ratings into repetitive psychology paradigms. Here we demonstrate that task and rest periods lowered participants' mood, an effect we call 'Mood Drift Over Time'. This finding was replicated in 19 cohorts totalling 28,482 adult and adolescent participants. The drift was relatively large (-13.8% after 7.3 min of rest, Cohen's d = 0.574) and was consistent across cohorts. Behaviour was also impacted: participants were less likely to gamble in a task that followed a rest period. Importantly, the drift slope was inversely related to reward sensitivity. We show that accounting for time using a linear term significantly improves the fit of a computational model of mood. Our work provides conceptual and methodological reasons for researchers to account for time's effects when studying mood and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Jangraw
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
| | - Hanna Keren
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Haorui Sun
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Rachel L Bedder
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Robb B Rutledge
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Adam G Thomas
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Charles Zheng
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Argyris Stringaris
- Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Faculty of Brain Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
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Danckert J, Elpidorou A. In search of boredom: beyond a functional account. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:494-507. [PMID: 36922277 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Boredom has been characterized as a crisis of meaning, a failure of attention, and a call to action. Yet as a self-regulatory signal writ-large, we are still left with the question of what makes any given boredom episode meaningless, disengaging, or a prompt to act. We propose that boredom is an affective signal that we have deviated from an optimal ('Goldilocks') zone of cognitive engagement. Such deviations may be due to a perceived lack of meaning, arise as a consequence of struggles we are experiencing in attending to a task, or be interpreted as a blunt call to find something different to engage with. Thus, the key to understanding boredom lies in its role in keeping us cognitively engaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Danckert
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Andreas Elpidorou
- Department of Philosophy, University of Louisville, 308 Bingham Humanities Building, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
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Pfattheicher S, Lazarević LB, Nielsen YA, Westgate EC, Krstić K, Schindler S. I enjoy hurting my classmates: On the relation of boredom and sadism in schools. J Sch Psychol 2023; 96:41-56. [PMID: 36641224 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Schools can be a place of both love and of cruelty. We examined one type of cruelty that occurs in the school context: sadism, that is, harming others for pleasure. Primarily, we proposed and tested whether boredom plays a crucial role in the emergence of sadistic actions at school. In two well-powered studies (N = 1038; student age range = 10-18 years) using both self- and peer-reports of students' boredom levels and their sadistic tendencies, we first document that sadistic behavior occurs at school, although at a low level. We further show that those students who are more often bored at school are more likely to engage in sadistic actions (overall r = .36, 95% CI [0.24, 0.49]). In sum, the present work contributes to a better understanding of sadism in schools and points to boredom as one potential motivator. We discuss how reducing boredom might help to prevent sadistic tendencies at schools.
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Dancer AMM, Díez-León M, Bizley JK, Burn CC. Pet Owner Perception of Ferret Boredom and Consequences for Housing, Husbandry, and Environmental Enrichment. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233262. [PMID: 36496783 PMCID: PMC9740969 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Boredom is a potential chronic but overlooked animal welfare problem. Caused by monotony, sub-optimal stimulation, and restrictive housing, boredom can therefore affect companion animals, particularly those traditionally caged, such as ferrets. We surveyed owners' (n = 621) perceptions of ferrets' capacity to experience boredom, behaviours they associate with it, and whether their perception of their ferrets' capacity for boredom influenced training techniques, housing, and environmental enrichment (EE). Most (93.0%) owners believed that ferrets could experience boredom, but owners who doubted that ferrets experience boredom (7.0%) provided slightly but significantly fewer EE types to their ferrets. Heat map and classification tree analysis showed that owners identified scratching at enclosure walls (n = 420) and excessive sleeping (n = 312) as distinctive behavioural indicators of ferret boredom. Repetitive pacing (n = 381), yawning (n = 191), and resting with eyes open (n = 171) were also suggested to indicate ferret boredom, but these overlapped with other states. Finally, ferret owners suggested social housing, tactile interaction with humans, and exploration as most important for preventing boredom. These results suggest that pet ferrets are at risk of reduced welfare from owners who doubt they can experience boredom, highlighting an opportunity to improve welfare through information dissemination. We recommend further investigation into ferret boredom capacity, behavioural indicators, and mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M. M. Dancer
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - María Díez-León
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Jennifer K. Bizley
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE, UK
| | - Charlotte C. Burn
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
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Gallegos J, Gasper K, Schermerhorn NEC. Bored and better: Interpersonal boredom results in people feeling not only superior to the boring individual, but also to others. SELF AND IDENTITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2022.2111341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Gallegos
- Department of Psychology, The University of Washington, Washington, PA, USA
| | - Karen Gasper
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
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Ohlmeier S, Klingler C, Schellartz I, Pfaff H. Having a Break or Being Imprisoned: Influence of Subjective Interpretations of Quarantine and Isolation on Boredom. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19042207. [PMID: 35206395 PMCID: PMC8872444 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Boredom has been identified as one of the greatest psychological challenges when staying at home during quarantine and isolation. However, this does not mean that the situation necessarily causes boredom. On the basis of 13 explorative interviews with bored and non-bored persons who have been under quarantine or in isolation, we explain why boredom is related to a subjective interpretation process rather than being a direct consequence of the objective situation. Specifically, we show that participants vary significantly in their interpretations of staying at home and, thus, also in their experience of boredom. While the non-bored participants interpret the situation as a relief or as irrelevant, the bored participants interpret it as a major restriction that only some are able to cope with.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Ohlmeier
- Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, University of Cologne, 50933 Cologne, Germany;
- Correspondence:
| | - Corinna Klingler
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany;
| | - Isabell Schellartz
- Institute of Health Care Research, Rhineland State Council, LVR-Institut für Versorgungsforschung, 51109 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Holger Pfaff
- Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, University of Cologne, 50933 Cologne, Germany;
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