“‘Boredom’ first became a word in 1852, with the publication of Charles Dickens’ convoluted (and sometimes boring) serial, Bleak House; as an emotional state, it obviously dates back a lot further. Roman philosopher Seneca talks about boredom as a kind of nausea, while Greek historian Plutarch notes that Pyrrhus (he of the ‘Pyrrhic victory’) became desperately bored in his retirement.”

Smithsonian Magazine on the history of boredom.

1:30 pm  •  17 December 2012  •  66 notes