Out of My Skull

“Danckert and Eastwood urge us to resist the temptation to ‘just kick back on the couch with a bag of chips’ and instead to find activities that impart a sense of agency and reorient us toward our goals.”—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker

“Boredom is often inescapable these days, as social distancing guidelines keep many of us at home… [This] is an engaging and timely read that is anything but boring.”—Erin Westgate, Science

“[A] highly interesting and suggestive book on the analysis of boredom from a strictly psychological perspective.”—Steven Poole, The Guardian

“Offers a concise and actually quite stimulating history of boredom.”—Michael Odell, The Times

“Offers an essential insight. Readers will leave with a greater understanding of what boredom is and what we can do with it. More than anything, it explains why boredom is something we shouldn’t fight so much as listen to.”—Eric Cortellessa, Washington Monthly

“Explore[s] what boredom really is and, crucially, whether it might serve a purpose.”—Idler

“The book could not be more timely.”—Susie Mesure, inews

“[A] fascinating book… An extended meditation on boredom as feeling and motive, as source of misery and meaning in life, as social pathology and technological predicament… An enjoyable and enlightening read that explores the many dimensions of boredom deftly but deeply.”—Nick Haslam, Inside Story

“Boredom bothers nearly everyone, but who likes admitting that? Take heart: James Danckert and John Eastwood demonstrate how boredom, though unpleasant, can spur us into productive action. Out of My Skull just might make you feel better about this very human failing—I know it did for me.”—Peter Toohey, author of Boredom: A Lively History

“Provocative and timely, cheeky and erudite, this book will bore no one.”—Colin Ellard, author of Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life

“Few have done as much as James Danckert and John Eastwood to bring boredom out of the scientific shadows and inspire researchers to give it the consideration it deserves. Out of My Skull is a gift for the rest of us—accessible, engaging, and enlightening.”—Mark Fenske, coauthor of The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success

“An inspiring look at the nature of boredom—what causes it, how we deal with it, and how it impacts our lives. Danckert and Eastwood explore some of the most pressing problems of our time, including solitary confinement, delinquency, internet addiction, and war, challenging us to consider what boredom can tell us about our world and ourselves.”—Heather Lench, editor of The Function of Emotions: When and Why Emotions Help Us

“Out of My Skull is a highly entertaining, compelling, and thought-provoking read on the subject of boredom. I learned a lot, and so will you.”—Joshua Coleman, author of When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along