Boredom is an emotion. It is not a person. The person isn’t boring: we are bored when we are with that person. But there is someone out there who would be fascinated by that person. The boredom is in us: not in the other person.
I find opera boring. Yet other people find it absolutely fascinating. As my children were growing up, I sometimes got bored by the stories that they wanted me to read to them over and over again! They saw the stories as the most hilarious things ever created.
Some people find me boring: others enjoy my company. That’s okay. I don’t need all the world to be my friend.
When I first came to this country, I found American football extremely boring until, by chance, I watched it with a good friend who was an avid fan. He explained what was going on, and the more I learnt about it, the less I saw it as boring. I eventually became quite a fan, and I am still interested in it..
I work with quite a few depressed people in my practice. One of the most common complaints is that they are extremely bored. I encourage them to become more active, as activity is one of the best antidotes for depression. I can usually predict their answer to my suggestion:
“Oh, that’s sounds boring. I wouldn’t be interested in that”
“Have you ever tried it?”
“No”
“So how do you know?”
“I JUST KNOW!”
I continue with gentle persuasion, and if I can get them to try a few easy things, I know there is a high probability that some of the boredom will go away.
Boredom is an emotion created by inactivity. The feeling of boredom gets stronger the less we interact with the world. That is why solitary confinement, with absolutely nothing to do, is guaranteed to produce extreme boredom and excruciating depression.
The more we can force ourselves to interact, the less bored we become, even around “boring” people.
(Disclaimer: When I first thought of answering this question, it felt a little boring. As I started writing, I was quite surprised how quickly my boredom disappeared as I struggled to come up with an answer that may be useful for the questioner. As usual, some people will be bored by my comments: some will not. That’s life!)