The Mediating Role of Boredom and MindWandering in the Relationship Between Evolutionary Fitness and Tendency to Substance Use Among University Students

Abstract

Background: Substance abuse promotes a sense of self-perceived evolutionary ability by stimulating the cortico-mesolimbic in the brain. Although the relationship between substance use and evolutionary fitness has been demonstrated, the role of mediatingvariables that may contribute to the relationship between self-perceived evolutionary fitness and substance use is not clear yet.Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between self-perceived evolutionary fitness and the tendency tosubstance use and the mediating role of boredom and mind wandering in this relationship.MaterialsandMethods: This studywasperformed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprisedof the students at state-run universities of medical sciences in Tehran. A sample of 200 students from Iran University of MedicalSciences was selected via convenience sampling. The Evolutionary Fitness Scale, Short Boredom Proneness Scale, the MaladaptiveDaydreaming Scale and Addiction Potential Scale were used to gather the data. The data were analyzed by Pearson correlation testand structural equation path analysis in SPSS 20 and Lisrel 8.80.Results: A significant negative correlation was found between evolutionary fitness and addiction potential (r = -0.75). The proposedmodel showed the direct effect factor of evolutionary fitness on addiction potential (β = -0.50, t = 7.90), boredom (β = -0.71, t = -14.12),and mind wandering (β = -0.46, t = -7.28). Moreover, the direct effect factor of boredom (β = 0.37, t = 5.94) and mind wandering (β =-0.02, t = -0.47) for addiction potential was established.Conclusions: Poor evolutionary fitness starts mind wandering about fitness-related issues. Eventually, this wandering leads to theunpleasant sense of boredom. Taking drugs artificially and temporarily increases evolutionary fitness and reduces one’s sense of boredom