Flow

What is Flow?

Flow is a concept developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, during his work on happiness.The term was first used by people he studied, to describe their optimal or peak experiences. Csikszentmihalyi concluded that regularly being in a flow state leads to happiness. And that flow is not a random event, but can be generated voluntarily.

Csikszentmihalyi researched the psychology of happiness for many years, asking thousands of individuals what made them happy. He determined that people most enjoyed themselves when doing something which pushed their abilities to the limit. Sometimes when people are engaged in such activities, they enter a state where they are so involved in whatever they are doing that nothing else seems to matter, said Csikszentmihalyi, it is so enjoyable that they would do it even at great personal cost.

What does it feel like?

A person in flow is completely absorbed in an activity, concentrating completely on the task at hand with no mental room for thoughts or distractions about the outside world, the activity feels effortless and flowing, there is a sense of intense enjoyment, the passage of time is distorted and there is a loss of self consciousness.

What conditions are usually required to generate flow?

Flow is usually generated during a challenging activity. More easily when there is a chance of completing the task, when there are clear goals, immediate feedback,and when the task matches the individual’s abilities. An activity which is too easy will lead to boredom, one which is too difficult to anxiety and frustration, both will disturb concentration and the flow experience.

Usually when we do something, we have thoughts like “should I be doing this?”, “am I doing it right?”, “maybe it would be better if I did that instead”. The secret of flow is to learn the skill of fully directing your attention to a task, which is just within your abilities, so that there are no mental resources left for these kind of distracting thoughts, says Csikszentmihalyi.

What occupations are more likely to produce it?

Whatever the occupation, flow is more likely when there are goals which are meaningful to the individual, and when progress can be gauged by feedback he can understand. Some people, like surgeons for example, have more obvious clear cut goals, and immediate feedback in their work, than others says Csikszentmihalyi, but all work can potentially be made into a flow activity.

Mindfulness and flow

“It is also important to develop the habit
of doing whatever needs to be done with
concentrated attention. Even the most
routine tasks, like washing dishes,
dressing, or mowing the lawn, become
more rewarding if we approach them
with the care it would take to make a
work of art”

Csikszentmihalyi in an interview with Psychology Today.

Flow often occurs during meditation, where attention is focused in this way, on the breath or on thoughts and emotions as they pass through the mind. For more on this see the review of Happiness by Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, with thousands of hours of meditation experience who makes some interesting comments about flow from the perspective of a Buddhist and scientist .

Photo at top of page by notsogoodphotography

flow, happiness, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, goals

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!