Researchers at the University of Essex have identified the most boring person in the world based on prejudices about professions, lifestyles, and hobbies. According to their publication in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the fictional person is a data processor who lives in a small town, leads a religious life, and enjoys watching TV in their free time. The researchers, led by Wijnand Van Tilburg from the Institute of Psychology, conducted five separate studies involving more than 500 people to determine the perceived boredom of individuals based on their professions, hobbies, and characteristics. The participants ranked jobs in fields such as tax or insurance, data analysis, accounting, banking, and cleaning as particularly uninteresting. Sleeping, religion, watching animals, and mathematics were the most commonly cited boring hobbies and lifestyles.
Interestingly, the study found that people who fit the stereotype of being boring are often perceived as less competent and are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems due to social rejection. The researchers noted that the prejudices against supposedly dull professions and characteristics are deeply ingrained and difficult to change. However, they also found that engaging with the concept of boredom can be fascinating. Van Tilburg commented that people like bank employees and accountants are highly capable and have power in society, and perhaps we should try not to upset them.
It is worth noting that the majority of the study participants were from the United States, and it is likely that stereotypes differ significantly in Europe. Nonetheless, the study sheds light on the negative impact of prejudices and the importance of taking the time to get to know people beyond their perceived boring characteristics.
