If you’re feeling a little bored these days, you’re not alone. Boredom can keep us trapped in our loneliness. But it can also give us clues as to what we can do to stop being bored. And it may interest you to know researchers around the world study boredom for a number of reasons. For example, it can affect our political choices, how much we give to charity and even how we might decide the fate of someone else if we were on jury duty. Understanding boredom can teach us so much about why we don’t like being alone and the extremes many of us would go to in order to avoid being with just our own thoughts. 

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There’s a famous painting by American artist Edward Hopper of four people sitting in a diner on a dark corner. That theme, in many of Hopper’s works, of people inside looking out, longing for something beyond their walls captured the attention of many at the beginning of the pandemic. Diners have become associated with the place to go for those on their own and wanting connections. This week, we hear from artists, curators, writers and a civil rights scholar about the role diners have played in our culture. So grab a cup of joe and pass the ketchup. Let’s meet at the local diner. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.