Our bizzy, bizzy brains

This article on NPR is on doodling's relation to the bored brain:

"If you look at people's brain function when they're bored, we find that they are using a lot of energy — their brains are very active," Andrade says...the brain is designed to constantly process information. But when the brain finds an environment barren of stimulating information, it's a problem.

But why is this nugget in a blog about media engagement? Well, I could justify it in all sorts of ways, but try this on for size:

So when the brain lacks sufficient stimulation, it essentially goes on the prowl and scavenges for something to think about. Typically what happens in this situation is that the brain ends up manufacturing its own material.

Or, it could doodle.
Or, it could daydream, or problem-solve.
Or, it could play with a pocket-sized video game.
Or, it could text a pal, I'M BORED.

In a recent talk, Sherry Turkle said something along the lines of "Loneliness is failed solitude... we develop an attachment to technology when we're "bored" or have time when nothing's happening." Is it that we are hardwired to hate boredom? What did we do with our bored feelings before digital media came along and made everything so interesting?