Researchers have found that those who play games on a smartphone out of boredom may be more susceptible to their harmful effects than those who do so for other reasons.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo (Canada) have found: those who often experience severe boredom in everyday life, often play games on smartphones to get rid of it. As a result, such people start playing whenever they are bored, and then face problems because they do it too often.
While playing, a person can achieve optimal excitement, focus and attention, and get rid of boredom, but it eventually leads to addiction to the game.
To come to these conclusions, the scientists used the popular smartphone game Candy Crush, which was played by 60 volunteers at different levels of difficulty, from the easiest to the most difficult.
The results, published in the journal Computer in Human Behavior, confirmed that those participants who were trying to compensate for their boredom with the game played more often and longer than those who played for other reasons – for example, out of interest. All of this led to a greater dependence on the game.
Thus, people had less time for other, more useful leisure activities. In the end, according to the researchers, this is fraught with depressive symptoms and an even greater sense of boredom.