Boredom: A Control-Value Theory approach

Control-Value Theory (CVT) posits that perceptions of control and value are main drivers of human emotions, including boredom. This chapter explains how CVT conceptualizes boredom and its relations with important antecedents and outcomes. We first outline how the theory defines emotion, and why it considers boredom an emotion. Next, we discuss CVT propositions on the origins of boredom. Overly high control (underchallenge), lack of control (overchallenge), and lack of value are seen as prime individual causes of boredom. By implication, more distal individual factors, such as personal goals, as well as social environments that influence perceived control and value are expected to also influence boredom. Boredom, in turn, is thought to affect behavior and performance, with negative effects on immediate performance but more variable effects on long-term outcomes. The outcomes of boredom reciprocally influence appraisals and the environment, implying that boredom, consequences, and antecedents are linked by feedback loops over time. These feedback loops open up multiple ways to regulate boredom. In conclusion, we discuss the relative universality of boredom across contexts and cultures, implications for practice, and directions for future research.