In a forthcoming article in the "International Journal of Epidemiology," experts say there's a possibility that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early.

Two researchers from Martin Shipley of University College London caution that boredom alone isn't likely to kill you – but it could be a symptom of other risky behavior like drinking, smoking, taking drugs or having a psychological problem. (At Right: A bored boy often turns into a bored man.

The researchers analyzed questionnaires completed between 1985 and 1988 by more than 7,500 London civil servants ages 35 to 55. The civil servants were asked if they had felt bored at work during the previous month.

The researchers then tracked down how many of the participants had died by April 2009. Those who reported they had been very bored were two and a half times more likely to die of a heart problem than those who hadn't reported being bored.

What they did not answer was: What was the root of the problem of boredom?

Here's my view and feel free to debate it. I think people are bored because they have tried to substitute the on going learning experiences of life with dead end entertainment often shown on television and at the movies. People who continue to new things, regardless of their age, are never bored. People who seek only entertainment without learning inevitably suffer ennui and early deaths.

With the World Wide Web at your finger tips and educational television one click away on your remote, you should never be bored. With the amount of knowledge doubling every five years, you do not have time to waste time watching things that give you a minimal amount of short time entertainment. This may sound like heresy to some, but does it really matter or improve your life to watch The Super Bowl? The next day, are you any better, morally, intellectually, financially, or physically? The only ones who gain are the players and the people who want you to watch it.

Two suggestions:

One, television is no longer the waste land. The History Channel, the Biography Channel and the PBS channels (to name only a few) contain a wealth of inspiring information and make learning fun.

Two, for some of us, we will never have time to read the classics, but the Internet has thousands articles. Wikipedia is like having the world's largest library in your den. And to read the crème de la crème of famous people and get your day off to a great start, turn to websites like Brainy Quote.

In the 21st Century, there is no need for anyone with a mind and a computer to be bored. Exercise you body AND your mind to live longer.