Basically what is said is that boredom shows a relation to increased heart problems. One study showed that people reporting boredom at work between 1985 and 1988 were two and a half times more likely to have died from a heart problem by 2009, when the researched checked in on them. It says in the article:
...boredom alone isn't likely to kill you — but it could be a symptom of other risky behavior like drinking, smoking, taking drugs or having a psychological problem.This is where my issue lies. Even though there are asides stating that boredom alone is not likely that deadly, boredom is discussed (especially in the title) as if it were a disorder, and not solely a byproduct of an unhealthy or unstimulated lifestyle.
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to your article, "Bored stiff? Experts warn that being bored at work could increase your chance of dying early." While this is an interesting and relevant topic, and while there may be a correlation between boredom and heart ailments, I think this article was misleading.
The intention of the article in question, as to be judged by the title, seems to be to tell readers that the scientific community has found yet another cause for heart problems: boredom. In the very first complete paragraph is the sentence, "...experts say there's a possibility that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early." Immediately 'boredom' is being treated as if it were causal. Even though it goes on to say that boredom is a symptom of risky behaviors like drinking, the tone has already been set.
By giving boredom the quality of being a cause instead of an effect, you are shifting attention from the real culprits of heart problems. I think you should be more clear about the relationships between these three things (alcohol/drugs/inactivity, boredom, and heart issues) so that people remain clear on how to address their problems.
The article that you are discussing sounds rather humorous. I can't help but agree that another ridiculous connection is being drawn to heart problems. I think that you tackle your argument extremely well. The only other idea that crossed my mind is semantic contagion. I feel like the only thing that could be worse than drawing this connection could be publicizing it.
ReplyDeleteWow, you hit the nail on the head with this one Amanda. I completely agree with you on this. How do they even put boredom on the same scale as drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes, especially was being at work... Being bored at work doesnt/ shouldnt cause anyone to begin drinking and smoking on the job, or during breaks and such. This article should have been written about people being bored at work and not getting enough exercise or something like that and that could be doing and is the potential reason why people who are bored at work tend to die at an earlier age. I also like how you showed that boredom is being used as a cause and not an effect of work...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely perfect 'cause / correlation' problem.
ReplyDeleteYep, when I'm bored, I tend to eat.......