Puppies, dancing babies, celebrity soundbites: A common go-to salve for a bout of boredom is to swipe through videos on your social media platform of choice. But that habit is likely making your problem even worse, according to new research.

“Our research shows that while people fast-forward or skip videos to avoid boredom, this behavior actually increases boredom,” said lead study author Dr. Katy Tam, a postdoctoral fellow of psychology at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.

“It also makes their viewing experience less satisfying, less engaging, and less meaningful,” she added.

With the wide array of entertainment at your fingertips, it’s easy to assume that people now are less bored than ever, Tam said. From 2008 to 2020, however, research has shown a growing trend of boredom in young people, she added.

“This is concerning because boredom is linked to negative mental health, learning, and behavioral outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, poorer academic grades, and even sadistic aggression,” Tam said.

Expectations versus reality of boredom

To investigate the roll that fast-forwarding and switching videos has in boredom, researchers performed two experiments on about 1,200 people, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

In the first trial, the study participants had two viewing experiences. The participants both watched a 10-minute video without the option to switch or fast-forward and then had a 10-minute period where they could switch between seven 5-minute videos, according to the study.

In the second experiment, participants watched a 10-minute video in one round and in the other round were allowed to fast-forward or rewind through a 50-minute video.

Participants predicted they would be less bored with the option to switch or fast-forward for both experiments but reported afterward that they found watching one video all the way through to be more engaging, satisfying and meaningful, according to the study.

“Boredom is closely linked to our attention,” Tam said. “We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be. When people keep switching through videos, they’re not fully engaging with any one video, and are instead searching for something more interesting.”

The good and the bad of boredom

To understand what you should take away from this study, it’s important to look further into what boredom really is, said Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, an independent research organization. She was not involved in the research.

“A study like this is easy to misinterpret as another mark against digital media, rather than to more usefully understand boredom as a motivational signal,” Rutledge said.

Like anger or sadness, boredom is an unpleasant emotion, and it’s often misunderstood or stigmatized, she said.

“While some people equate boredom with laziness or lack of ambition, it can have both positive and negative effects,” Rutledge said. “Boredom, like all negative emotions, is a signal that motivates us to change what we’re doing. In this sense it is healthy and adaptive.”

If you think of boredom as a shortcoming rather than a motivational tool, you will react to it differently, she added.

Seeing it as a shortcoming may motivate someone to react quickly to engage their attention to feel less frustrated and guilty, Rutledge said.

“The other may encourage me to examine what I’m doing and think about what activities would genuinely be meaningful and rewarding,” she said.

How to stay engaged

If you want to get out of the loop of scrolling through boredom, intentionality is key.

“Take your time before hitting the fast-forward or skip button, and find ways to stay focused while watching videos,” Tam said. “Just as we pay for an immersive experience in a movie theater, enjoyment often comes from engaging with the content rather than swiping through it.”

Knowing there is always more — and potentially better — content online can enhance a fear of missing out and get in the way of “rational appraisal” if you aren’t intentional about how you are viewing the content, Rutledge said.

It’s also important to reflect on what you are trying to avoid when going through the videos — because not everything can be exciting all the time, Tam added.

You shouldn’t feel guilty and ashamed when bored, but you can use it as an opportunity to think about what activities give you meaning and challenge, Rutledge said. Research shows that activities that engage a skill in a challenging but meaningful way gives a better sense of satisfaction than those that just keep you busy or help you relax, she added.

Finally, Rutledge urges people to “Become more mindful of how you use media of all kinds.”

“Pay attention to your moods during media use so that you can identify when a positive experience turns negative — a restorative few minutes watching funny cat videos can turn into a downward spiral of self-doubt,” she added.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

Puppies, dancing babies, celebrity soundbites: A common go-to salve for a bout of boredom is to swipe through videos on your social media platform of choice. But that habit is likely making your problem even worse, according to new research.

“Our research shows that while people fast-forward or skip videos to avoid boredom, this behavior actually increases boredom,” said lead study author Dr. Katy Tam, a postdoctoral fellow of psychology at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.

“It also makes their viewing experience less satisfying, less engaging, and less meaningful,” she added.

With the wide array of entertainment at your fingertips, it’s easy to assume that people now are less bored than ever, Tam said. From 2008 to 2020, however, research has shown a growing trend of boredom in young people, she added.

“This is concerning because boredom is linked to negative mental health, learning, and behavioral outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, poorer academic grades, and even sadistic aggression,” Tam said.

Expectations versus reality of boredom

To investigate the roll that fast-forwarding and switching videos has in boredom, researchers performed two experiments on about 1,200 people, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

In the first trial, the study participants had two viewing experiences. The participants both watched a 10-minute video without the option to switch or fast-forward and then had a 10-minute period where they could switch between seven 5-minute videos, according to the study.

In the second experiment, participants watched a 10-minute video in one round and in the other round were allowed to fast-forward or rewind through a 50-minute video.

Participants predicted they would be less bored with the option to switch or fast-forward for both experiments but reported afterward that they found watching one video all the way through to be more engaging, satisfying and meaningful, according to the study.

“Boredom is closely linked to our attention,” Tam said. “We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be. When people keep switching through videos, they’re not fully engaging with any one video, and are instead searching for something more interesting.”

The good and the bad of boredom

To understand what you should take away from this study, it’s important to look further into what boredom really is, said Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, an independent research organization. She was not involved in the research.

“A study like this is easy to misinterpret as another mark against digital media, rather than to more usefully understand boredom as a motivational signal,” Rutledge said.

Like anger or sadness, boredom is an unpleasant emotion, and it’s often misunderstood or stigmatized, she said.

“While some people equate boredom with laziness or lack of ambition, it can have both positive and negative effects,” Rutledge said. “Boredom, like all negative emotions, is a signal that motivates us to change what we’re doing. In this sense it is healthy and adaptive.”

If you think of boredom as a shortcoming rather than a motivational tool, you will react to it differently, she added.

Seeing it as a shortcoming may motivate someone to react quickly to engage their attention to feel less frustrated and guilty, Rutledge said.

“The other may encourage me to examine what I’m doing and think about what activities would genuinely be meaningful and rewarding,” she said.

How to stay engaged

If you want to get out of the loop of scrolling through boredom, intentionality is key.

“Take your time before hitting the fast-forward or skip button, and find ways to stay focused while watching videos,” Tam said. “Just as we pay for an immersive experience in a movie theater, enjoyment often comes from engaging with the content rather than swiping through it.”

Knowing there is always more — and potentially better — content online can enhance a fear of missing out and get in the way of “rational appraisal” if you aren’t intentional about how you are viewing the content, Rutledge said.

It’s also important to reflect on what you are trying to avoid when going through the videos — because not everything can be exciting all the time, Tam added.

You shouldn’t feel guilty and ashamed when bored, but you can use it as an opportunity to think about what activities give you meaning and challenge, Rutledge said. Research shows that activities that engage a skill in a challenging but meaningful way gives a better sense of satisfaction than those that just keep you busy or help you relax, she added.

Finally, Rutledge urges people to “Become more mindful of how you use media of all kinds.”

“Pay attention to your moods during media use so that you can identify when a positive experience turns negative — a restorative few minutes watching funny cat videos can turn into a downward spiral of self-doubt,” she added.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

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Wasilla, south central Alaska. Home to bears, lakes, mountains and a flight school that’s fast becoming a private aviation wonderland.

At FLY8MA Pilot Lodge, you can opt for a scenic flight tour with glacier views, take the controls for a flying lesson, or go all in and get your pilot training.

When night falls over the broad vistas of the US state they call the Last Frontier, you can then climb the steps to two unique accommodation experiences: a converted McDonnell Douglas DC-6 airplane and the newest arrival, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 – still with its DHL livery.

The fast-developing site is an ongoing project by FLY8MA founder Jon Kotwicki, who previously owned a flight school in Florida, before working as a commercial pilot and eventually ending up in Alaska.

Flying for the airlines “pays good money and everything, but it’s a very boring job,” he says. “Driving Uber is more interesting because you could talk to your passengers.”

Having fallen in love with the south central region on a vacation spent hiking, fishing and spotting bears and grizzlies, he chose it as a spot where he and his team – and his trusty Pomeranian dog Foxtrot – could “buy a lot of property and perhaps develop our own airport and run our own show.”

Expanding playground

The site runs to a little over 100 acres and started off as just a runway. Then came cabins to house students, and then cabins to house tourists on scenic flights.

The cabins got rigged out with heated floors and towel bars and “everything fancy,” he says. “And then, like, let’s one up that. It would be cool if we got an old airplane to turn into a house. Let’s make it really nice and put a Jacuzzi on the wing and a barbecue grill. Let’s get two more and have three of them.”

They built a second runway and a hangar for this expanding playground. “I have a tendency to go a little overboard,” he chuckles.

“It’s fun, whether it’s grown adults just in awe of the place, or it’s kids running up and down the whole length of the airplane, going crazy and running to the cockpit,” he says. “It’s frustrating and stressful and overwhelming and expensive to do these things – but it’s rewarding.”

The first plane to be converted was the US-built 1950s DC-6, which in a previous life flew freight and fuel to remote villages around Alaska.

Now it’s a two-bed, one-bath stay, with a fire pit on the wing deck, with Airbnb prices around $448 a night.

Bookings have just opened for the DC-9, which is three-bed, two-bath, and has a sauna, hot tub and heated floors. It can host seven guests and prices are around $849 a night.

Work is underway too on the newest addition, a Boeing 727, which will be a lodge space for guests to congregate.

There’ll “be a big kitchen in there, big dining room table. People can have meals together,” says Kotwicki. “We’ll have a hot tub on the wings, couches. The tail of it, I’m really excited for because that’ll be a rooftop deck” with a “nice little fire pit to hang out and everything.”

Kotwicki has recently bought a fourth plane. It’s a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, a military transport aircraft produced from 1949 to 1955, which he says is “so ugly, it’s cool.”

Control tower stay with Northern Lights

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