Not only are we happier and less neurotic when immersed in flow, but we typically feel good about ourselves and what we’ve accomplished afterward.įlow has also been linked to superior performance in teaching, learning, athletics, scientific and creative fields, etc.
#Getting into the flow experience how to#
Understanding flow (and how to achieve it) is important because it’s a deeply rewarding experience, both during and following the activity. While it’s certainly possible (and not uncommon) to lose ourselves in a television program, for instance, he saw these sorts of passive activities as ultimately less rewarding than those that are more challenging and offer opportunities for personal growth and accomplishment. Importantly, Csikszentmihalyi associated flow with active rather than passive forms of engagement. In short, flow involves “losing ourselves” in activities where we feel capable, competent, and meaningfully engaged. An altered perception of time (i.e., time “flies” by).Experiencing the activity as intrinsically rewarding.A sense of personal control and competence.A loss of reflective self-consciousness.Focused concentration on a given task or activity.The Flow State: Psychological Features & Benefitsįlow is largely synonymous with what athletes call “being in the zone.” According to Csikszentmihalyi, there are six key features of flow:
The late Hungarian psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, coined and popularized the flow concept, which is also described in terms of “flow states” or “flow experiences.” In addition to his formal research, he published a number of popular books about flow, which he considered the “optimal human experience.” Clearly, flow was near and dear to his heart, as it is to mine. Let me start by giving credit where it’s due. So lest I suffer any further regret and self-reproach, I’m dedicating this post to this fascinating and important topic. But for some reason, I never got around to posting about it. Over the last several years, I’ve touched on the concept of “flow” in no fewer than 10 articles as well as in my book, The 16 Personality Types.
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