Disentangling boredom from depression using the phenomenology and content of involuntary autobiographical memories

We examined whether the phenomenology and content of recurrent IAMs could differentiate boredom and depression, both of which are characterized by affective dysregulation and spontaneous thought. Boredom proneness predicted less vivid recurrent IAMs, whereas depressive symptoms predicted more vivid, negative, and emotionally intense ones. Memory content also diverged: topics such as relationship conflicts were positively predicted by depressive symptoms, but negatively predicted by boredom proneness.

Recommended citation: Yeung, R. C., Danckert, J., van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Fernandes, M. A. (2024). Disentangling boredom from depression using the phenomenology and content of involuntary autobiographical memories. Scientific Reports, 14, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52495-5