On the Relation Between Oral Contraceptive Use, Boredom, and Flow

Across two samples, we investigated the relation between oral contraceptive (OC) use and self-reports of boredom and flow proneness in undergraduate females using OCs (Sample 1: OC group N = 343, Sample 2: OC group N = 162) and females not using any form of hormonal contraceptives (Sample 1: Non-OC group N = 1191, Sample 2: Non-OC group N = 852). We measured boredom proneness and the tendency to experience ‘flow’, defined as the experience of deep and effortless concentration; we also measured semester of data collection and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress to use as control variables. Although there were some differences between samples, the key findings were that (1) boredom proneness and flow scores showed a modest negative correlation in both samples indicating they are associated but not simply opposite constructs; (2) OC users reported significantly less boredom proneness than non-users in Sample 2 and when the samples were combined, but this relation did not reach significance in Sample 1; (3) the association between OC use and boredom proneness remained even when semester of data collection and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were controlled; and that (4) there were no differences between OC and Non-OC groups for measures of flow proneness. Thus, OC use is related to reduced boredom proneness, although this relation is small.