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Scrolling to escape boredom will only bring more boredom, research finds

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

What do you do when you're bored? Whip out your phone and just start scrolling through videos, or you get bored of one video, so you move on to the next...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: This might be the best breakfast I've ever had.

RASCOE: ...And the next.

(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Do you have a costumer who comes up with all of your...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: How to avoid being pickpocketed...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: New Jersey...

RASCOE: And now, maybe you feel even more bored. Well, there's new research to back you up, led by Katy Tam at the University of Toronto.

KATY TAM: We feel bored when there's a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be. When people are switching or fast forwarding, their attention is actually jumping around and they're not fully focused in the content they're consuming and this can increase boredom.

RASCOE: Maybe you should do squats, take up knitting, read some research papers, or how about listen to the radio? Just don't change that station. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Ayesha Rascoe is a White House correspondent for NPR. She is currently covering her third presidential administration. Rascoe's White House coverage has included a number of high profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she's also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.