Why we can’t sit idle

WASHINGTON - We fiddle, or start tidying up, or take something apart like a clock just to put it back again - just so that we don’t get bored.

Such work is a better alternative than engaging in busy, yet destructive activity, such as crimes, a new research says.

The results suggest people should stay occupied, even if their activity serves no purpose.

Since we don’t know what’s best for ourselves, the researchers suggest those with authority should take the lead.

“Governments may increase the happiness of idle citizens by having them build bridges that are actually useless,” Live Science quoted the authors as writing.ome of these interventions actually already exist, the researchers say.

“Airports have tried to increase the happiness (or reduce the unhappiness) of passengers waiting at the baggage carousel by increasing the distance between the gate and the baggage claim area, forcing them to walk far rather than wait idly,” they write.

The study is published in the July issue of the journal Psychological Science. (ANI)