Boredom : a lively history / Peter Toohey.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-204) and index.

In the first book to argue for the benefits of boredom, Peter Toohey dispels the myth that it's simply a childish emotion or an existential malaise like Jean-Paul Sartre's nausea. He shows how boredom is, in fact, one of our most common and constructive emotions and is an essential part of the human experience. This informative and entertaining investigation of boredom--what it is and what it isn't, its uses and its dangers--spans more than 3,000 years of history and takes readers through fascinating neurological and psychological theories of emotion, as well as recent scientific investigations, to illustrate its role in our lives. Toohey shows that boredom is a universal emotion experienced by humans throughout history and he explains its place, and value, in today's world.--From publisher description.

Putting boredom in its place -- Chronic boredom and the company it keeps -- Humans, animals and incarceration -- The disease that wasteth at noonday -- Does boredom have a history? -- The long march back to boredom.