5.3: Finding Flow

     

WATCH List 

Watch Youtuber, FlightMediocrity, discuss the work of flow expert and psychologist, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in this animated book summary¹⁸.

 

READ List 

Then, read Chapter 8 of Positive Psychology: The Basics¹⁹ by Rona Hart, which delves into the concept of flow.

Explore further How to Measure Flow with Scales and Questionnaires²⁰, check out Dr. Heather S. Lonczak’s article published on PositivePsychology.com.

 

Flow

From the perspective of flow, a fulfilling life entails being fully immersed in the present moment, much like mindfulness practices. In a world often preoccupied with the past and future, embracing the now is essential for experiencing true contentment. 

Psychological flow embodies a state of deep absorption, focus, and involvement in activities, accompanied by a sense of enjoyment. It is characterized by complete absorption, distortion of time perception, effortless yet intense focus, and smooth transition between actions. While there's a sense of control, it's not absolute. However, it's important to note that flow can sometimes lead to neglecting basic needs like food, sleep, self-care, and the needs of others.

 

True or False? If you binge watch several hours of your favorite show, you are in flow.

Think about the things you do during free time –passively scrolling through Facebook or Twitter. 

• Are these behaviors contributing to unhappiness? Why?

• What if we focused on the here and now instead?

 

In our fast-paced, future-oriented society, we find ourselves frequently shifting between dwelling on the past and fixating on the future. This perpetual state often leaves us disengaged, feeling bored, and lacking in attentiveness, contradicting the concept of flow. 

 

Flow is an optimal experience characterized by being fully present in the moment, featuring elements of novelty, absorption, a sense of sacredness (whether spiritual or existential), and pursuit of meaningful goals. Think about the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, for example. Michelangelo's commitment to his art was so intense that he would often go without food and sleep, enduring discomfort until he collapsed from exhaustion. His single-minded focus on his work led to neglect of basic self-care and relationships, sometimes going weeks without changing his clothes or boots.

 

The conditions for experiencing flow encompass two key factors. Firstly, there are perceived challenges or opportunities for action that match the individual's existing skills, neither underutilizing them nor overwhelming them. Secondly, clear proximal goals emerge during the flow state, accompanied by immediate feedback on progress.

 

Regions of Momentary Experiences:

• Flow: where challenges and skills matched
• Boredom: where challenges and opportunities are too easy relative to skills
• Anxiety: where demands increasingly exceed capacities for action

 

Characteristics of Flow 

• Absorption in momentary experience
• Accompanies highly engaging activities
• Time passes by quickly
• Attention completely focused on task
• Sense of self is lost
• Sense of control
• Intrinsically rewarding

 

Initially, flow was assessed qualitatively through interviews. However, researchers now employ Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to measure it more objectively. This method involves paging or beeping participants at random intervals and prompting them to describe their ongoing activities, emotional states, and cognitive experiences. For instance, participants might be asked, "How much time are you in flow?" This approach allows for real-time data collection, offering a more accurate understanding of flow experiences in individuals' daily lives.

 

The Flow Questionnaire, developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1988)²¹ was is designed to measure the subjective experience of flow. In the Flow questionnaire, respondents were presented with the three descriptions and asked whether they could recall similar experiences. They were then asked to describe these experiences and to rate associated feelings, e.g., level of involvement, effort, anxiety, etc. This methodology depends on respondents recognizing the flow descriptions and relating them to their own previous experiences.

 

Gain a better understanding of the Flow Questionnaire, or complete it yourself with the Flow State Scale²² developed by Dr. Susan Jackson and Dr. Herbert Marsh. 

 

Flow can be quite difficult to generalize and manipulate in lab settings because there is so much variability in what predicts flow in a person. Solving math problems for one person is miserable and another can find great satisfaction and flow in it, for example. Cultural differences add another layer of complexity, as the conditions conducive to flow differ across societies. In Western cultures, individuals often experience flow when engaging in activities that push their boundaries, such as facing skilled opponents in games like chess. Conversely, in Hong Kong, students tend to prioritize a balance between their skills and the challenge level, adopting a more cautious approach. However, it's important to note that this preference doesn't apply universally, as evidenced by Japanese college students. Given that most studies on flow have been conducted in the United States and Western Europe, it's essential to consider the role of culture in understanding flow experiences. Surprisingly, research suggests that a significant proportion of individuals in the U.S. rarely or never experience flow, with only a minority reporting daily encounters with this optimal state of consciousness (Delle et al. 2017)²³.

Flow experiences are often associated with specific traits and characteristics. These include curiosity, persistence, low self-centeredness, and possessing an autotelic personality. An autotelic individual finds enjoyment in life itself and typically engages in activities for their intrinsic value rather than to achieve external goals. For them, the process is inherently rewarding, and they prioritize the journey over the destination. Additionally, those with an autotelic disposition tend to seek out high-action opportunities and exhibit higher levels of positive affect.

 

In clinical settings, harnessing the power of flow involves identifying and promoting activities and environments that facilitate optimal experiences. Therapists assist individuals in recognizing what triggers flow for them, encouraging them to invest their energy in such activities. This process involves helping clients pinpoint their passions and strengths to cultivate a sense of purpose and engagement. Additionally, therapists work on developing personal characteristics and skills that enhance the likelihood of flow experiences. By focusing on these elements, individuals can experience increased fulfillment and well-being in their daily lives.

 

9 Dimensions of Flow

Conditions

Challenge-Skill Balance

The balance between levels of perceived challenge and perceived skills is a central condition of a flow experience (Tse, Nakamura, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2021)²⁴. When the perceived level of challenge is below a person’s skill level, they are likely to feel bored and disengaged. When the perceived level of challenge is well above a person’s level of skill, they are likely to feel anxious. The balance between the two, with challenges very slightly stretching a person’s perceived skills, is most conducive to experiencing flow. Note that levels of challenge and skill, and their subsequent balance, are not determined by objective criteria associated with an activity. Rather, both levels of challenge and skill are those perceived by the individual themselves. 

Clear and Emergent Goals

The experience of flow occurs within a system of dynamic and open motivation. Clear goals in the context of flow experience refer to those that emerge in a person’s awareness as their subjective experience unfolds (Tse, Nakamura, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2021)²⁵. The immediate and momentary nature of emergent goals is in contrast to broader, more general goals that a person may have in mind while engaging in daily tasks. For example, a student may set a goal to finish a written assignment in a given amount of time. However, such goals do not represent clear and emergent goals in the case of flow. Rather, goals that emerge once a student begins writing their assignment such as selecting an idea to start their draft with, brainstorming about their response, drafting an outline, elaborating on specific points they wish to highlight in their response, reviewing their draft for logical consistencies, even just completing one sentence, and assessing whether it links logically with the next, are more representative of a flow experience. In other words, clear goals during flow emerge in the moment within a person’s subjective awareness as opposed to being set before the activity even begins.  

 

Immediate Feedback

Immediate and continuous feedback about how well one is doing helps sustain flow and can be thought of as an ongoing condition of a flow experience operating alongside clear and emergent goals (Tse, Nakamura, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2021)²⁶. Similar to the balance between challenge and skill levels as well as clear emergent goals, feedback, as immediately received in the present moment, is subjectively perceived and assessed by the person themself. This is in contrast to external feedback that a person may receive later about their performance in an activity, such as that received from another person (e.g., a letter grade or score assigned to a student’s assignment).

 

Characteristics

Focused Concentration

Completely focused concentration representative of deep absorption in the task at hand is a key characteristic of flow experience (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990²⁷; Tse, Nakamura, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2021)²⁸. However, unlike deliberate regulation of attention to concentrate on a particular stimulus, focused concentration in the case of flow experience emerges as a function of the flow conditions being satisfied. Focused attention within flow experience is often reported as feeling effortless, in contrast to effortful focus that may characterize other experiences of focused attention (Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura, 2018)²⁹. In other words, flow states are unlikely to occur simply because one has chosen to intentionally and effortfully concentrate. Instead, complete concentration is more often the product of a situation in which the perceived levels of challenge and skill are balanced and emergent goals and feedback are clear.

 

Merging of Action and Awareness

The merging of action and awareness within flow experience represents the subjective perception of feeling one with the activity. During flow, the distinction between the individual and the activity is not in the forefront of awareness. Many accounts of the flow state describe an experience in which one action flows into the next without pausing for conscious reflection (Csikszentmihalyi 1990)³⁰. In other words, many people report that during flow, one action seamlessly follows the next without thinking beforehand about what to do next, because the action and the awareness of that action tend to merge into one unified experience.

 

Sense of Control

People often report feeling in control of their actions when experiencing flow. For example, a rock climber may report feeling in control of where to place their hand next as they climb up the face of a mountain. Although a flow experience is often accompanied by a sense of control, it is contextualized against the backdrop of feeling that control may be lost at any given moment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)³¹. In this sense, perceptions of control that emerge during flow experiences can be distinguished from feelings of complete control that may be more characteristic of relaxation or actions that have become automatic. 

 

The sense of control that accompanies flow experiences exhibits a paradoxical nature (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990³²; Logan, 1988³³); many people report feeling completely in control, yet a true feeling of complete control is at odds with one’s skills being stretched by an attainable challenge. To be completely in control would imply that one is not actually being challenged, or that one might not fall out of control at any given moment if concentration is not maintained. The allure of flow, however, is in the satisfaction of exercising control in normally difficult to control situations, or experiencing the possibility, rather than the actuality, of control (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)³⁴. Importantly, like the balance of challenge and skills, the sense of control during flow is an individual’s subjective perception of control rather than an objective assessment.

 

Time Distortion

As attention is fully focused on the task or activity at hand during flow, little to no spare attentional resources are available to keep track of the passage of time. As a result, people often report completely losing track of time during flow. Once the flow experience ends, the passage of time tends to feel different than normal and the perception of time having passed by very quickly or rather slowly during the flow experience is a common occurrence (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)³⁵.

Loss of Self-Consciousness

Attention is fully focused in the present moment during flow. Similar to losing track of time passing, spare attention is not available during flow experiences to consciously view oneself as a social actor engaged in a task or activity. Rather, a person simply acts without thinking self-consciously about themself or how others will perceive their actions. In other words, during flow, attention is fully focused on what one is doing rather than being invested in consciously monitoring oneself.

 

Note that the loss of self-consciousness does not mean the loss of consciousness altogether, as in the case of fainting, for instance. In addition, the loss of self-consciousness does not represent a complete lack of control and regulation of one’s behavior. In fact, a person is fully conscious of their actions during flow, as in the case of rock climbing, but simply not conscious of oneself as a separate participant in one’s subjective experience.

 

Autotelic Experience

Flow experience is autotelic in that it is pursued for its own sake. The term autotelic is derived from the Greek words auto (i.e., self) and telos (i.e., goal). In other words, experiences of flow are ends in themselves, rather than simply serving as a means to another end. Although flow is associated with beneficial outcomes such as positive mood and higher performance, such outcomes are not generally why people want to replicate flow once they experience it in a particular activity. Such benefits may best be seen as by-products of flow rather than the primary reason to pursue such an experience. 

 

Furthermore, while one could begin a potential flow activity with an external goal in mind (e.g., rehearsing for a future performance, competition, or completing an assignment), the experience during flow makes the activity a worthwhile end in itself regardless of the final outcome. With that said, skill development is often associated with flow since the enjoyable nature of flow itself motivates people to seek a similar quality of experience in the future. With each subsequent flow experience, skills tend to gradually improve, leading one to seek out greater challenges in order to maintain an optimal balance of challenge and skills (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990³⁶; Tse, Nakamura, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2021³⁷).

 

Guiding Questions 

1. What is flow?
2. What happens to attention and sense of time during flow?
3. How do you put yourself in a state of flow?
4. What is the "area of apathy" and how does that connect to happiness, flow, and how you spend your time each day?

 

 

Definition: Flow

embodies a state of deep absorption, focus, and involvement in activities, accompanied by a sense of enjoyment

 

Attribution

¹⁸FightMediocrity. (2015, June 19). FLOW BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI | ANIMATED BOOK SUMMARY [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h6IMYRoCZw

²⁰Lonczak, H. S. (2019, August 28). How to Measure Flow with Scales and Questionnaires. PositivePsychology.Com. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/how-to-measure-flow-scales-questionnaires/

²¹Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. S. (Eds.). (1988). Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge University Press.

²²Jackson, S. A., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). Development and validation of a scale to measure optimal experience: The Flow State Scale. Journal of sport and exercise psychology, 18(1), 17-35. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.18.1.17

²³Delle Fave, A., & Bassi, M. (2017). Work, cultures, and the culture of work: Flow across countries and professions. In C. J. Fullagar & A. Delle Fave (Eds.), Flow at work: Measurement and implications (pp. 157–175). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315871585-9 

²⁴,²⁵,²⁶,²⁸,³⁷Tse, D. C., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2021). Living well by “flowing’ well: The indirect effect of autotelic personality on well-being through flow experience. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(3), 310-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1716055 

²⁷,³⁰,³¹,³²,³⁴,³⁵,³⁶Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (Vol. 1990, p. 1). New York: Harper & Row.

²⁹Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (2018). Flow, altered states of consciousness, and human evolution. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 25(11-12), 102-114.

³³Logan, R. D. (1988). Flow in solitary ordeals. In M. Csikszentmihalyi & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness (pp. 172–180). Cambridge University Press. (Originally published in the "Journal of Humanistic Psychology," 1985, 25(4), 79-89)