Flow
© 2009
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"Flow"
Like many humanistisic theorists, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1991) asked the important question "What makes people happy and fulfilled?" To search for the answer, he first examined empirical data derived from surveying people spontaneously about their activity and the way they were feeling (along several dimensions) at the time. He used a beeper that went off at random times during each day and required his participants to immediately complete a standard survey. As a result, he found that no particular activity systematically correlated with being happy or fulfilled. Some reported being happy while completing paperwork at the office, reading, exercising, gardening, rock climbing, or cleaning the house whereas others reported being very unhappy doing the very same things. After examining these findings for a while, Csikszentmihalyi noticed that it was not the activity itself but the way we approach the activity that made us happy or unhappy.
When we take the right approach to any activity, it feels like we are paying attention and accepting what is happening but at the same time we feel like we are in control because we are actively participating in the process (of what is happening). This is often described as a mysterious and sometimes even a spiritual experience because it is so difficult to describe in words. It occurs when we are so focused on a task that nothing else seems to matter. In sports, sometimes people say that an athlete is in the "Zone". It is that sort of experience except Csikszentmihalyi suggests that it can be experienced with any activity, not just in sports.
Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1991) called this state "Flow" and according to his theory, this state of mind causes optimal performance on tasks as well as a sense of happiness. In fact, "Flow" is sometimes referred to as "Optimal Experience." Flow is often described as being completely absorbed in the process of an activity rather than the end goal. In order to experience "Flow," the activity must be perceived as challenging but not too difficult. When the activity is perceived to be too easy, we become bored. When we perceive it to be too difficult, we feel anxious and frustrated. In order to experience "Flow," we need to be challenged a little bit but not too much. The following are some of the characteristics of the "Flow" noted by Csikszentmihalyi (1991).
1. Attention is completely absorbed by the activity
2. Activity is perceived to have a goal/direction (even though the focus is on the process)
3. Open to clear immediate feedback
4. Experience a sense of control
5. Lose self-consciousness
6. Lose a sense of time (time can feel shorter or longer than actual chronological time)
"Flow" can be experienced with any type of activity. It can be experienced when we are mowing the lawn, washing our dishes, speaking to a family member, or filing documents in our office. Csikszentmihalyi notes that people who are happy have the ability to organize their experiences so that they spend more time experiencing "Flow" in their lives. He suggests that we can all consciously try to experience more "Flow" by changing how we perceive our experiences so that they are seen as challenging but not too overwhelming. When something is boring, we can change our perception of the activity to make it interesting. For example, sweeping the floor may be a boring activity at first, but if we focus on forming particular shapes with the dust we are sweeping, it may become an interesting activity. On the other hand, when something seems overwhelming, we may try to break it down into smaller manageable steps so that it feels less overwhelming. Writing a twenty-page report for our job may feel too overwhelming at first. However, if we break it down by writing one page in the morning and one page in the afternoon every day for ten days, it may feel less difficult and perhaps even interesting. This is also the essence of mindful living. In order to feel happy, we need to pay attention to each moment and participate in each step of the process rather than focusing on the end goal. In sum, the theory of "Flow" seems to suggests that "Get it on!" is a more useful motto to follow than "Git-R-Done!"
References
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: HarperCollins.