Do you ever wonder how people didn't die of boredom in the olden days

[AthenaisdeRochechouart]

Before telly and iPads and Netflix and access to unlimited books/music via Amazon?

What did they do to stop going stark staring mad? Could you cope long term without the above?

I think it's the opposite as in all the technology hinders people from developing non tech interests. I speak with my teenage students and they have no interests. They just seel to waste time on screens. Obviously years ago people didnt have free time unless very wealthy.

They talked to the real live person next to them rather than typing to a bunch of strangers

Never bored as a kid as long as you had a chopper byke. Google that op.

Ah if you couldn’t do your geography home work you asked mum then dad and then phoned grandad. If no joy it was into the freezing dining room ( no heating) for the encyclopaedia Britannica.

In from school and then out until dark. Home cooked tea. Eat out once a year on mums birthday. Went to the cinema once to see Chitty chitty chatty bang bang. Colour TV in 1974 which was amazing,

No phones no internet 3 channels for about 4 hours a day.

We read lots and had huge street games. Learned to knit and just played imaginary games. No helicopter parents.

Tell you what op we were a hell of a lot more resilient independent, content mature and I think actually confident than kids and teens today but that may be my age

I was bored shitless a lot of the time. I read loads but an awful lot of it was trash - I know most Dick francis novels by heart. A big theme of the Nancy Mitford novels is 'aching with boredom' which only stopped with marriage. A lot of crappy novels of the 20s to 80s have as a major theme, how the hell do we fill our time? Also huge male resentment of women claiming to have lots to do which the male authors dismiss as worthless and annoying - cf the opening scene of Look Back In Misogyny.

I fucking love the Internet. Beats going to Matins, helping with Sunday lunch, helping preserve fruit, doing homework and finally getting to watch Rugby Special as the alleged highlight of the day.

Working hours and chores were longer and more time consuming which meant less time to socialise and have fun. In the times they did have down time people were much more social. Rich families would host dinner parties and invite friends and neighbours for drinks and music. Poor families would sit in the street with their neighbours. They would also socialise in the pub and mothers meetings at the shop/street/friends house/midwifes.

Music instruments
Crochet/knitting
Reading/writing
Story telling.
Parlour games.

Honestly op look up Victorian pass times. They were notorious for fun and games.

I recently had no access to any technology at all and after the first day or so, which was hard, I felt so creative! Loads of story ideas, I heard all the noises of nature and enjoyed being. And silence.

I think the boredom is good.

The only drawback was there were times when my anxiety skyrocketed, thoughts on serious over drive. I would normally have distracted myself with MN or pinterest. But having to work through these thoughts and come to terms with them, however distressing, I think it was helpful in the long run.

People did socialise, play cards, visit the cinema, the theatre, local pubs and dances.

Not everyone likes to watch TV all the time, it's a very passive pursuit and could be considered a waste of time unless you want to become a screenwriter or work in media.

There's some extraordinary arrogance on this thread!

. 'They would also socialise in the pub and mothers meetings at the shop/street/friends house/midwifes.'

Oh yes, do you remember tugging at your mum's sleeve and begging her to hurry up while she stood in the street endlessly yacking to another mum about some boring grown up thing? Now we're the mums we do it on Mumsnet, on our phones.

Although I do remember as a teenager finding Sundays incredibly boring.

People connected more, socialised with family and friends.

I was born in 64. My Dad was always down the pub, practising with his band or playing/watching rugby. He also DIYed all the jobs in our house, knocked down walls, installed central heating etc. My mum hung out a lot with female relations and friends; we had a constant stream of people in and out of our house and we were always visiting others. My mum also did loads of baking and cooking and knitting and sewing, always had a project going on. My grandparents were seriously into their gardening.

As a family we went on a lot of walks, often ending up in a pub beer garden. We had lots of days out, to the beach and other free stuff.

Sunday morning was at church, big lunch, then afternoons were spent at our grandparents.

I was a typical kid; never in if the weather was fine, always out playing with friends. On rainy days and dark evenings I would always be doing something with my cousin who lived next door. We liked writing stories and illustrating them, researching and making project books about stuff we were interested in, Airfix and Lego and mecanno.

Haha, is the OP for real? Never look at Netflix, don't bother with my tablet, and never listened to Amazon music.

We read real books, watched normal TV, listened to the radio/cassettes/vinyl and spent much more time outside, we went to the pub, we went to the cinema, we went to the library and went shopping in town. Sometimes we even phoned dia-a-disc (16 for those who remember). We talked more and spent loads more time face to face with friends. They were happy times and I would return to them if it wasnt for the convenience of the internet.

So many parents and children interact so much less these days, its really sad.

I grew up without those things, although we did get a TV when I was older. After I left home I didn't bother with one though.

What we did was not sit around all the time, being incapable of holding a conversation.
Gardening, grew our own veg.
Sewing, making and altering clothes.
Cooking, proper food, not pre-prepared over-priced stuff full of additives.
Reading, actual books, I was never without a book and as a result I am able to read and write, unlike many children these days that are glued to screens.
Walked, rode bikes, enjoyed fresh air and countryside, went on day trips.
Went to parks and played on the common, played tennis, rounders, had scooters and roller skates, and a bike, all second hand but still...
Board games, including Scrabble.
Learned to play an instrument, gave lessons to younger people for fun.

I enjoy the internet and technology but there seems to be rather a lot more of it than is good for us.

We had loads of fun! I used to spend hours as a teen writing letters, responding to letters, going over letters. Lots of board and card games, charades, dominoes, social clubs.

I go on cruises as often as I can now and the WiFi is always crap unless you buy a premium package and even then it can be really slow and crummy. So people often go without. Yes, for a whole week! And they survive!

I was a voracious reader as a teen. The selection at the library was a bit crap and I could only go once a week. Books were too expensive to buy.

I liked sewing and drawing and painting. I had almost no materials. I wish I’d had Pinterest!

I remember being achingly bored. I lived miles from my friends, I was rarely allowed to use the phone.
TV was shit.

I don’t watch TV now but I love radio (plays on demand) and audio books.
I can remember 20 years ago doing housework and being bored rigid, I don’t mind it with something to listen to.

I don’t think necessarily because people were busy they weren’t bored. Many tasks are repetitive and not stimulating - just doing them doesn’t stop boredom.

Sex. If it was dark at 5pm and you had no electric what else was there to do?

I remember being incredibly bored, especially on Sundays. All the shops were shut, we had no television and we had to go to church. It was mind-numbingly boring. And there was always a roast dinner (the shine goes off it if you have one too often) and tea was always wet salad and wet ham. Ugh.

In the real ‘olden’ days i.e. long before iPads and Netflix, people didn’t have the leisure time to be bored.

We just sat around tapping our fingers waiting for the Internet to be invented. It was tough but we made it.

My gran's generation lived near a lot of extended family. People would always be popping in and out of each others houses. They all had a lot of children. I think aa well as the downsides of chores etc it was a lot more social than nowadays. They didn't have TV but they used to go to the cinema a lot and dancing and variety shows etc. They seemed happy

Spending time with family, housework, playing games, reading, gardening, working....

As a child we watched very little tv - we listened to the radio, played games ( cards, darts, board games). Read books, spoke to each other!

Never been bored (and when I was born we did have a black and white TV but there was not much on it). We read and read and read books from the library which we cycled to. Sometimes you'd be back to the library within a day or two. It is one reason I suspect I did well in school exams and won university prizes and indeed earn quite a bit now - that I had that exposure to so many books.

We did the garden. We grew stuff to eat. We went on walks. We did music - loads of it. I got 4 grade 8 exams etc and it remains something I do every day of my life even now.

Lots of people today do loads of things that are not just netflix and love island or posting on instagram. We still read books ( paper books) and talk and walk and cycle and do the garden and play the piano.

Perhaps the question should be turned around as to why did the some parts of society lose the desire for self improvement and literature, art and music and indeed religion. What lost some of them these advantages and how can they regain those things?

There were also generally enough volunteers for things like Scouts and Brownies.

MorningtonCrescent - I think we're of the same era. I loved June, Mandy & Pixie magazines

Omg!!

Pixie magazine was the highlight of my month. They serialised all the classics? June/Mandy annuals I still have them all.

I'm old so I remember a time before all that stuff. We watched tv when it was on (not 24 hours like now). I read a lot. Got my books from the library. Read newspapers. Listened to music on a record player and on the radio. Went out. Came home. It wasn't that different tbh.