Boredom Proneness Test

This test is inspired by the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS), a self-report measure developed by Richard Farmer and Norman Sundberg at the University of Oregon and published in the Journal of Personality Assessment in 1986. The BPS was the first full-scale measure of trait boredom and remains the most widely used instrument in boredom research. This test uses its own items, modeled on the same construct, and is not identical to the original instrument.

Boredom proneness is more than being bored right now. It is a stable tendency to experience monotony, restlessness, and under-stimulation across many situations — at work, while waiting, during leisure — together with difficulty generating interest and engagement from within. The test reports results across four domains: how strongly the world fails to stimulate you, how much empty and dragging time you experience, how readily tasks lose their grip on you, and how much you depend on outside stimulation rather than self-generated interest.

Research on boredom proneness has linked higher scores to lapses of attention, procrastination, impulsivity, and lower satisfaction with work and daily life, while lower scores go together with self-directed interest, patience, and sustained engagement. Scores are expressed as percentages; in research with comparable measures, the typical adult lands around 42%, with most respondents between roughly 30% and 54% — estimated comparison values carried over from published research samples, not standardized norms for this exact test. Boredom itself is not a flaw — researchers regard it as a signal that a current activity has lost meaning or challenge — but a strong chronic tendency toward it can make ordinary life feel like a waiting room.

This test is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not psychological advice, and it is not affiliated with the original authors or their institutions. If persistent boredom, restlessness, or loss of interest is weighing on your daily life, consider speaking with a qualified mental health professional.

References

• Farmer, R., & Sundberg, N. D. (1986). Boredom proneness: The development and correlates of a new scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 50(1), 4-17.
• Struk, A. A., Carriere, J. S. A., Cheyne, J. A., & Danckert, J. (2017). A Short Boredom Proneness Scale: Development and psychometric properties. Assessment, 24(3), 346-359.