We define boredom as a state of “relatively low arousal." We suggest that if a person is momentarily in a high arousal state, then at that instant the person is not bored. People do not talk about being simultaneously excited and bored. This aspect of boredom relates it to the arousal/complexity literature (Berlyne, 1967; Eisenberger, 1972; Fiske 8. Maddi, 1961, Walker, 1980). According to contemporary arousal theories, people act to maintain some optimal level of arousal. If arousal gets too high (information overload, fear, hunger), the person will do something to reduce the arousal (escape, get food). If the arousal is too low (eg, boredom), the person will act to increase arousal (seek less boring situation). Relatedly, there is some evidence for a positive relationship between boredom proneness and sensation seeking (Farmer 8. Sundberg, 1986; Kass & Vodanovich, 1990). O'Hanlon (1981) describes a person as exerting" effort" to maintain adequate arousal when constrained in a potentially boring situation. For the complexity/arousal theorists (above references), the perceived complexity of the situation is a major determinant of arousal. The complexity of a situation relative to an individual is a function of that person's experiences with similar situations. Thus a certain type of music may be very complex relative to one individual and not complex relative to another. A major way people behave to maintain an optimal arousal level is by seeking out situations whose complexity, relative to the individual, is neither too high nor too low. A situation whose complexity level is slightly greater than the individual's level is pleasing and reinforcing. Thus, boredom often results from being in a situation whose complexity is too low for the individual, resulting in below optimal arousal. In the social-psychological research on exposure and affect, it has been found that mere exposure to a stimulus may increase its positive effect until boredom sets in. Factors that minimize boredom (brief exposure duration, limited number of exposures, and heterogeneous stimuli) enhance the exposure effect (Bornstein, 1989). Continued exposure could be seen to reduce the complexity of the stimulus relative to the person.

A central component of lndian yogic psychology is the set of seven chakras, Centers of interactions of consciousness, mind, body, and energy (Rama, Ballentine, & Ajaya, 1976). According to contemporary interpretations, these chakras correspond to fundamental categories of motivation (Mikulas, 1987). It is suggested in yogic psychology that most people most of the time are primarily motivated by needs for security, sensation, and power, which correspond to the first three chakras. The second chakra (sensation) includes craving for sensory pleasure and greater complexity, sex in the broadest sense, and fleeing from sameness and boredom. Thus, boredom, particularly as defined in this paper, is the central negative aspect of the second chakra. This correspondence allows us to interrelate the Western research on boredom with the massive literature of yogic psychology, eventually