system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What causes the feeling of boredom and would it provide a survival advantage?
gpt
There's no universal definition of boredom, but at the most basic level, its the feeling of of a lack of stimulation. From an evolutionary perspective, as hunters and hunted, we were under constant pressure to both be actively looking for food and to avoid predators by being aware of our surroundings. If we were to eat, we must be aware of possible meals, and if we were to survive, be aware of threats. Inattention meant death, so our minds developed hyper-attentive tendencies. In the modern world, we don't need to worry about those things, or at least not nearly as much. That leaves us with a brain wired for both physical and mental activity, but a lack of activity to satisfy that need, which can lead to boredom. Our ancestors who were particularly successful didn't have to work as hard to find food or shelter and thus had more "free time", which could lead to boredom.

Now, is there an evolutionary advantage to boredom? Possibly, although it's important to remember that not everything has an evolutionary purpose or advantage. A very plausible way that boredom *could* be an evolutionary advantage is that it serves as a motivational force that led our ancestors to try new things, seek new experiences, explore, and innovate, all of which could reward us with more mating opportunities, thus making boredom beneficial.