No one likes to admit they are bored. Now the sociologist Silke Ohlmeier has written a book about the unpopular feeling: “Boredom is political.” In an interview, she reveals why it would be better to pay more attention to emotions.
When we talked about your book in the editorial office, some colleagues were flabbergasted: Bored? Don’t we have completely different problems right now?
I know the reaction well! It often hides several misunderstandings about boredom. The first is that people often equate boredom with not having enough to do. Which isn’t true. Because if you don’t have anything to do at the moment, you can just look out the window and enjoy your free time, you don’t have to be bored.
And the second?