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It's not a bug, it's boredom: Effortful willpower balances exploitation and exploration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2021

Maik Bieleke Open the ORCID record for Maik Bieleke [Opens in a new window]  and
Wanja Wolff Open the ORCID record for Wanja Wolff [Opens in a new window]
Maik Bieleke
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, A-1010 Vienna, Austria maik.bieleke@univie.ac.at, https://bildung-psy.univie.ac.at/en/about-us/maik-bieleke/
Wanja Wolff
Affiliation:
Department of Sports Science, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany wanja.wolff@uni-konstanz.de, https://scikon.uni-konstanz.de/persons/profile/wanja.wolff/ Department of Educational Psychology, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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Abstract

The continuous revaluation of rewards lies at the core of Ainslie's account of willpower. Yet, he does not explicate the underlying experiential mechanisms. We draw upon theoretical, neuroscientific, and computational evidence to demonstrate that boredom evokes revaluation. By biasing behavior toward exploration, boredom necessitates effortful willpower to balance it against exploitation, thereby rendering suppression a highly adaptive function of willpower.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e33
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Creative Commons
The target article and response article are works of the U.S. Government and are not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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