Pre-reading questions:
- What activities or things bore you?
- What catches your attention the most in conversations? Please tell me more about it.
Vocabulary:
- bore /bawr/
- jigsaw /JIG-saw/
- vibrant /VAHY-bruhnt/
- act on /AKT on/
- prejudice /PREJ-uh-dis/
[noun] – someone or something that is not interesting
This book is such a bore. It teaches me nothing.
[noun] – a picture stuck onto wood or cardboard and cut into pieces of different shapes that must be joined together correctly to form the picture again
It took us all night to finish a 1,000-piece jigsaw.
[adjective] – energetic, exciting, and full of enthusiasm
Shibuya is known for its vibrant atmosphere, especially at night.
[phrasal verb] – to do something because you have been advised or told to do it
The team must act on the instructions in the training manual.
[noun] – an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge
There has always been prejudice against middle-aged workers.
Article reading:
Assumptions that make a stereotypical bore may not be absolutely accurate, but they can have consequences. Walking into a meeting with negative expectations may result in missing out on a potentially pleasant conversation, whereas a more open mind may allow new friendships. A 2014 study conducted at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville revealed that boredom is one of our most agonizing emotions. When people see an unfinished jigsaw puzzle that they’re not allowed to touch, it’s significantly more challenging for them to sit in a room doing nothing. This could explain why we get agitated when we’re stuck with a bore while hearing all the other vibrant conversations going on around us. Sadly, we pass harsh judgment on people before they’ve had a chance to catch our interest. When people are threatened, they are much more likely to act on prejudice toward others, social scientist Wijnand van Tilburg points out.
Someone may be hiding their self-doubt by harshly judging others based on their employment or hobbies. Boredom, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
Comprehension questions
- What can result in missing out on a potentially pleasant conversation?
- According to the article, what does a more open mind allow?
- What is one of the most agonizing emotions based on a 2014 research?
- In the article, what is more challenging for people when they see an unfinished jigsaw puzzle that they are not allowed to touch?
- What do people do when they feel threatened, as mentioned by Wijnand van Tilburg?
Discussion questions
- How do you “snap-judge” people? (by the way they are dressed, they talk, etc.)
- Have you met somebody whom you thought was “boring”? Please tell me more about your experience.
- If you were introduced to someone, would you rather talk about your profession or your hobbies? Why?
- Do you agree that pre-judging people shows signs of insecurity?
- How can we make a “boring” conversation more engaging?