Boredom is not merely neutral but potentially generative: It is the gateway to mind-wandering, the cognitive state in which the brain forms new connections, solves problems, and generates creative ideas. On this account, the real danger of the digital age is not boredom itself but our refusal to tolerate it. We have a self-defeating habit of reaching for the phone at the first twinge of discomfort, crowding out the very mental space in which our best thinking happens.