I recently published Boring People Lead Boring Lives, which discussed how passive entertainment stunts leisure skill development. I also wrote about the dangers of boredom: Boredom proneness is dangerous. It's associated with increased feelings of aggression (Rupp & Vodanovich, 1997; Dahen, 20004), anger, substance abuse (Rupp & Vodanovich, 1997), procrastination (Vodanovich & Rupp, 1999), shyness (Maroldo, 1986), coronary-prone and Type-A behavior (Kass & Vodanovich, 1990), depression, anxiety (Ahmed, 1990; Vodanovich, Verner & Gilbride, 1991) and low self-actualization (Vodanovich & Rupp, 1999).
I thought I'd follow up with a story about how iPads destroy creativity, curiosity... and even language and other cognitive skills.
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The best way to give your child a creative, entrepreneurial mind (hint: you won't need flashcards)6/25/2014 I originally posted this as an answer to the question, How can I develop my child's curiosity? on Quora. When I'm around kids, I ask them questions all the time. The point is to make them wonder, to help them think critically. A lot of adults like to tell or teach kids things. In fact, I'll often ask a child a question, and a nearby adult will answer for/to the child. But I think it's better to ask, hypothesize and explore -- especially in response to a child's own question. For example: Child: "How do I draw a dog?" Adult: "That's a really great question, [child's name]! Where do you think we should start? What's the first part of the dog we should draw? Then what? Want to try it? We can always try again if we mess up." I got mad at my boyfriend last week. We were discussing whether it would be a good idea for me to join him and his friends on a camping trip -- even though the primary activity would be whitewater kayaking. I'm not a fan of that particular sport... and I'm also recovering from a recent shoulder surgery.
"It's a beautiful area," he said to me. "I'm just afraid you'll get bored." It was like he'd called me stupid or said I wasn't good at basketball or something. He's supposed to know me better than anyone else -- so how could he suggest such a thing? A few months ago, Salon published an article called Dangers of traveling while female. As a fellow female traveler, I was horrified by Ms. Burton’s perception of how women should/must travel. Then I read The Lack of Female Road Narratives and Why It Matters last week, and I knew I had to say something. I have never let my gender stop me from having an adventure. In fact, I’ve always thought that traveling alone is easier for a female than a male. I mean, come on! Sparking conversations with huge numbers of new people; on-the-fly invitations to helicopter rides, lobster diving outings and other escapades; being welcomed to crash in someone’s house or share a meal with their family… are all things that are more likely to happen if you’re a lady. And next thing you know, you and your two hitchhikers are kayaking in the Cuevas de Marmol on the Chile-Argentina border.
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Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power. Read more >
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