Researchers from the University of Essex in Colchester, England, conducted a research where they asked more than 500 people across five different experiments about the careers and hobbies, they considered the most “boring” — and what characteristics they associated with people who did those jobs. The study was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin earlier this month.
Finance came out to be the most boring industry.
“I would have thought that accountants would be seen as boring, but effective and the perfect person to do a good job on your tax return,” Wijnand Van Tilburg, a study co-author and senior lecturer in the university’s psychology department, said in a statement last week.
Tilburg said that stereotypically “boring people” are generally disliked, and often avoided by the people around them.
Tilburg said. “The very fact that people choose to avoid them can lead to social ostracization and increase loneliness, leading to a really negative impact on their lives,” he said.
Tilburg said, “The irony is studying boredom is actually very interesting and has many real-life impacts.”
Following are the findings of the research.
Top 5 most boring jobs
- Data analysis
- Accounting
- Tax/insurance work
- Cleaning
- Banking
Top 5 most exciting jobs
- Performing arts
- Science
- Journalism
- Health professional
- Teaching
Top 5 most boring hobbies
- Sleeping
- Religion
- Watching television
- Observing animals
- Math
However, it is important to note that the “boring” jobs are often found to pay more than the “exciting” ones.
And while “sleeping” ranked as the single most boring hobby anyone could have, getting regular amounts of high-quality sleep is essential to your productivity, health and mental sharpness.