Boredom May Be Deadly

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Bored people may be more likely to die early, according to English researchers.

They studied the responses collected between 1985 and 1988 from more than 7,500 London civil servants, ages 35 to 55, who were asked if they had felt bored at work during the previous month, the Associated Press reported.

When they looked at how many of the participants had died by April 2009, the University College London researchers found that those who said they had been very bored at work were 2.5 times more likely to have died of a heart problem than those who were bored. This increased risk was reduced when the researchers adjusted for other potential risk factors, such as fitness levels.

Boredom alone isn't likely to be dangerous, but it could be associated with risk factors such as smoking, drinking, using drugs or psychological problems, said the researchers, the AP reported.

The article will be published in the April issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology.