TikTokers say “Rawdogging Boredom” Will Fix Your Attention Span

The Trend: We’re not bored enough, say TikTokers. Influencers are sharing videos of themselves “rawdogging boredom,” which involves sitting and doing nothing. Really, nothing at all — no phone, no computer, no book, no snacks, no beverages — just flat-out nothing. Creators claim the boredom challenge “resets” dopamine by depriving the brain of the constant stimulation we’ve become accustomed to.

What People Are Saying: Therapist Morgan Starr-Riestis wants you to know that detoxing dopamine isn’t a real thing — but the broader idea behind a boredom challenge has merit. We are, indeed, conditioned to fill every spare moment with something: a task, an idea, an activity — rarely allowing ourselves to do nothing, or even just one thing at a time. Still, researcher James Danckert argues that the trend misses the point. The real problem, he says, isn’t boredom but disengagement. 

What to Know: “Boredom is the unlikely hero of an overwhelmed society,” journalist Alexander Nazaryan writes in The New York Times. But experts caution that challenges like “rawdogging boredom” won’t magically fix your attention span. A better approach: cultivate meaning even in mundane moments — and stop reaching for your cell phone at every red light.