People Who Are Super Bored Almost Always Say 10 Phrases In Casual Conversation
GaudiLab | ShutterstockConversations are essential to our well-being, but what happens when they're a bore?
Especially for certain kinds of intelligent and creative people who need more than someone's sheer presence to be entertained and stimulated, of course, boredom creeps in. While they might be able to contain it, it's also possible that you'll hear the many phrases that people who get bored super easily almost always say in casual conversations. Unfortunately, it can often rub other people the wrong way.
People who are super bored are easy to spot by these specific phrases they say when you're talking to them:
1. 'Let's go one step further'
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People with a higher level of mental complexity often need someone to match their depth to feel entertained and understood in conversations. They need someone who can bring nuanced ideas. They want the challenge of a unique problem. They want to hear about someone's uniqueness from their mouth, instead of trying to keep a conversation going with a simple-minded, boring person.
There's a reason why intelligent people are daydreamers by nature. They have so much complexity and information swirling around in their minds that they need these small moments to zone out and refresh. Especially in a boring conversation with someone who's not adding anything, they're going to go inward or zone out more often.
2. 'Let's think about it in a different way'
Many creative people with innovative thinking patterns are used to going outside the box. They're always considering the opposing side to an argument or playing the devil's advocate, so, of course, they need people in conversations to allow this kind of structure.
They're considering something new and playing around with unique ideas, so they need people who don't cling to a rigid, overly analytical path.
3. 'Tell me what you think'
According to a study from NeuroImage, creative people often need exposure to others' ideas and thoughts to boost their own inspiration. They need the verbal clutter to stimulate their own brains. That's part of the reason why, as another study from Psychological Science explains, creative people thrive when their workspaces and desks are a little bit messier than the average person's.
You'll often hear them saying things like "tell me what you think" in conversations, especially when they aren't sure how to solve a problem or haven't totally thought through their entire opinion just yet. They need other people to shape the way they brainstorm, offering unique ideas and perspectives, even in casual conversation.
4. 'That seems too simple'
A study from Frontiers in Sociology found that boredom isn't always a lack of interest or a sign of internal complexity, but a situation with a lack of challenge. Especially for people who are comfortable with and seek out adversity for the sake of resilience or challenges for the sake of growth, in casual conversations they use phrases like this.
They're driven by an internal need for stimulation or challenge, and even if the average person can exist without these things, they're instantly bored without them.
5. 'I feel like I don't really know you'
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While oversharing can sometimes disconnect people and create all kinds of emotional burdens, most of the time, people enjoy at least getting a bit deeper than small talk. While the average person might overestimate how awkward these conversations will be or stick to small talk out of personal discomfort and anxiety, people who need stimulation crave something different.
They're the people who say these kinds of phrases and ask more interesting questions. They break the social script everyone else adheres into and create more interesting interactions. They make conversations go deeper, because when they're superficial, they're boring.
6. 'I disagree'
Most intelligent people enjoy debates and complex conversations because they learn. They're not necessarily trying to win any arguments or prove they're right, but instead seek the cognitive effort and stimulation of these interactions.
They enjoy piecing together complex problems and understanding someone who doesn't share their opinions, because they make conversations interesting and spark the reward centers in their brains. Of course, they get super bored when conversations are overly simplistic and superficial because they're missing all these pillars of stimulation that they love.
7. 'Have we met before?'
Many people in search of more stimulating, meaningful conversations amid everyday life will actively seek out new interactions. They'll introduce themselves to strangers and ask questions like "Have we met before?" all in search of social meaning.
While it might seem annoying or overwhelming to someone who prefers alone time or small talk, a study from the University of Kansas suggests that just one of these deep conversations a day significantly boosts well-being for everyone.
8. 'What interests you about that?'
Curiosity is often what drives stimulating conversations and interactions, because curious people ask questions and break the social script. Instead of "How are you?" and "nice to meet you," which craft draining moments of small talk and unnecessary chatter, these people ask the kinds of questions that spark better conversations.
They dive deeper into topics and interests that most people may overlook or find boring, because saying nothing or using passive phrases like "that's interesting" only makes them more bored.
9. 'What does that mean?'
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While seeking meaning and knowledge in conversations tends to come from less blatant questions, sometimes, "What does that mean?" actually does make interactions more interesting. Especially for "meaning seekers" who need stimulation and depth in their conversations, this phrase can be the most accessible way to dive deeper in casual interactions.
Whether it's someone's opinion or a complex problem, they dive deeper at any chance they have.
10. 'I'm just thinking'
Ironically, many people with complex minds who get bored by small talk easily prefer the "awkward" silence that everyone else avoids. They'd prefer to entertain themselves by thinking introspectively rather than to entertain the people around them and fill the silence with unnecessary chatter.
They can reflect, solve problems, regulate their emotions, and even entertain themselves by going inward, even if it seems like they're entirely disengaged or zoned out from everything else.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
