The UK has officially crossed a line—more atheists than believers. A country once defined by grand churches and deep faith is now shrugging off religion. Scientists think they know why: people are bored.
Researchers at the University of Vienna surveyed over 1,200 adults about their experiences with spiritual practices. They looked at yoga, meditation, silent retreats, Catholic sermons, and pilgrimages. The verdict? Most people found them dull.
Boredom, they say, kills motivation and mindfulness. It doesn’t just make people zone out—it actually stifles any positive effects these practices might have. Dr. Thomas Götz, one of the researchers, puts it bluntly: boredom is an obstacle that weakens the power of spiritual rituals.
This isn’t just speculation. Boredom has been studied before, and the results aren’t pretty. The wrong kind can make people overeat, sabotage their own lives, and even struggle with intimacy. In extreme cases, it’s been linked to an earlier death.
But until now, boredom in religious settings—what the researchers call “spiritual boredom”—has been largely ignored. The assumption was that people wouldn’t find something dull if they chose to engage with it. That assumption, it seems, was dead wrong.
The study found that of all the spiritual activities, pilgrimages were the least boring. Long walks through historic landscapes apparently hold more appeal than sitting through a sermon or stretching in a yoga class.
This shift in religious engagement isn’t just about boredom, though. It reveals something deeper: traditional faith in Britain is fading, and people aren’t finding alternative spiritual experiences compelling enough to stick around. When meaningful rituals turn into tedious obligations, people simply stop showing up.
Britain’s ‘atheist age’ isn’t about deep philosophical debates or scientific breakthroughs. It’s about attention spans, engagement, and a lack of connection. If spiritual leaders want to turn the tide, they might need to make faith a little less yawn-inducing.
Five Fast Facts
- The UK’s non-religious population has more than doubled since the 1980s.
- The longest pilgrimage route in the world spans over 4,000 miles, stretching from France to Spain.
- Boredom studies have linked chronic boredom to higher levels of stress and anxiety.
- Yoga has been practiced for over 5,000 years, but modern versions often stray far from its spiritual roots.
- The average church service lasts about an hour, but medieval sermons could go on for several hours.
