On 18 Oct 1995 18:43:46 GMT,
Steve Eisner <102616.2753 at CompuServe.COM> wrote:
>I am interested in the biochemical and physiological markers that
>animals including humans show when they are bored. This is for a
>book I am writing on creativity. Any references would be most
>welcom.
Steve:
A search for "boredom" on Medline or Psychinfo should turn up some
results. These databases are accessible from CompuServe on the
Knowledge Index service (GO KI), which makes part of the Dialog
service available after hours at a reduced rate.
Short of being able to talk to animals, one can only assume that
they are bored when they engage in unusual behaviors, often as the
result of captivity. It is usually some form of repetitive,
stimulating behavior, such as a horse rubbing its neck against a
post. It used to be a real problem in zoos until zookeepers finally
realized that animals needed more stimulating and natural environments.
Many humans drum their fingers, yawn, or light up a cigarette when
they are bored. Cigarettes are the equivalent of an acetylcholine
boost, through the action of nicotine on (what else) the nicotinic
receptors for acetylcholine.
The neurotransmitter most directly involved with boredom would have
to be dopamine. It's a big factor in substance abuse too. There's a
lot of indirect evidence concering dopamine's role in the brain, but
only recently have dopamine levels begun to be measured experimentally
just in animals using reverse microdyalisis techniques.
Many psychiatric disorders such as manic depression and schizophrenia
appear to be linked in several ways to creativity in humans, though
the pathophysiology of these disorders is still rather poorly
understood. Dopamine does appear to play some role in many of these
disorders.
AJR
