11 a.m., February 1, 2026
Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss two videos; one that examine the beneficial effects of boredom and the downside of avoiding it, and another video looks at compulsions and how stress and loneliness feed addiction.
In the first video, How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas, Manoush Zomorodi contrasts what she felt was the mind-numbing monotony she felt when all her time was spent caring for her infant with the lack of inspiration when she was finally able to work podcasting a public radio show.
She concludes that when your body goes on autopilot, your brain gets busy forming new neural connections that connect ideas and solve problems. Learn to love being bored as Manoush Zomorodi explains the connection between spacing out and creativity.
Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist, podcast host and author. She was the host of theWNYC podcast Note to Self, which explores humans’ relationship with technology through conversations with listeners and experts. In 2018, Zomorodi quit WNYC to start a media company, Stable Genius Productions, with her colleague Jen Poyant. The process of starting their company is documented in the podcast ZigZag, which is also their first production. As of March 2020, she is the host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour.
You can view this 16-minute, 2017 video at https://www.ted.com/dubbing/manoush_zomorodi_how_boredom_can_lead_to_your_most_brilliant_ideas.
The second video, is How isolation fuels opioid addiction. In it, Rachel Wurzmah discusses the nature of compulsion, including normal habits we all have, and addiction as a reaction to stress and loneliness.
Wurzman shows how social isolation contributes to relapse and overdose rates and reveals how meaningful human connection could offer a potentially powerful source of recovery.
Rachel Wurzman is a neuroscientist and neuroethicist who joined the Dana Foundation in 2022 as a Neuroscience & Society Fellow. She also holds appointments as a senior fellow with the Institute for Biodefense Research and as affiliate faculty with the Neuroethics Studies Program of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University. Over the past decade, she has served as a subject matter expert and neuroethics advisor to the military, as well as multiple public and industry neuroscience initiatives, programs, projects, and working groups. She was also a co-founder and director of science for SeekHealing, a nonprofit focused on improving relational social health in communities to address the root causes of addiction, suicide, and radicalization. She is also the author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and white papers.
You can view this 19-minute, 2017 video at https://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_wurzman_how_isolation_fuels_opioid_addiction.
Attend in Person
Join fellow Humanists in the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022-3742. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.
Attend Online
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
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— Humanist Community (@HumanistCommSV) January 28, 2026
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