The Experience of Boredom: Personal Meaning As an Antecedent and Sensational Proximity to Self-Control Exertion

Bayesian analysis revealed that personal meaning and difficulty elicited boredom in a cognitive task. Boredom correlated with self-control investments and costs; moreover, it predicted an urge to engage in a different activity. Our results underscore the functional role of boredom in motivating behavior and its proximity to self-control perceptions.