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Aug 21, 2007

Mark rated it:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi created the notion of "flow" to describe the experience which we have all had -- but all too rarely for most of us -- of becoming so immersed in and challenged by an experience that we lose track of time, our own self-concsciousness and feel most fully engaged in life. Interestingly, he found, this has little to do with people's most enjoyable leisure activities. Folks love to watch TV and movies, eat dinner with friends and so forth, but rarely does that achiev More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Jeff added it

Given the attention this book has received I had some pretty lofty expectations. Sadly, those expectations weren't met. Part of the problem is that "Flow" is widely cited by the current crop of pop-pscyhology books. For that reason I felt like I got the idea of "flow" long before I even cracked C's book. My "heard it all before" feeling wasn't helped by the redundancy that C builds into his text. Authors and editors take note, one really good example or analogy is u More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 22, 2010

Tomio rated it:

Flow was a interesting look into the titular state, that of being "in the zone" or the slightly more dated "on fire". Flow is the mental and physical state of being where one is completely absorbed in the task at hand, and so well matched to the task, that everything else disappears from awareness. Csikszentmihaly makes a distinction here between "fun" and "enjoyment", claiming that something does not have to be fun to be enjoyable, and the latter is ult More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2008

Guillaume added it

This book explains that true happiness is obtained by achieving an optimal state of mind called "Flow".

This state of mind can be best described as one where the participant's consciousness is so involved in its activity that self-consciousness disappears, in a way similar to meditation.

This state is most commonly achieved in situations where a goal that participant(s) feel skilled to achieve is set clearly, and for which constant feedback on how close participan More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2008

Herbie added it

I read this for a class called "Human Pursuit of Euphoria" during the winter of 2003 at Exeter. That was my senior year, and I was primarily concerned with finding other outlets for my desire to do drugs. Now I am re-reading it. It helps me think about the nitty gritty of everyday self-motivation. I really like this book, even though it seems like a cheesy self-help book. The footnotes in the back and the constant references to psychology research disarm my usual skepticism. At the sam More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 25, 2008

Layla rated it:

This book is filled with insight. The author explains the personality type possessed by those who experience flow often, the "autotelic" personality. He says that these individuals interpret their negative circumstances in a positive way, continually challenge and enrich themselves, and take ownership of their choices making them more dedicated to their goals. He discusses how to experience flow - that one must become immersed in the activity and perform it for its own sake, in a m More...

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Mar 24, 2007

S rated it:

Flow is that "zone" that we all strive to achieve in any exercise that we undertake. In a state of "Flow," your creativity is un-inhibited and you are completely enraptured in the "here and now" -- with notions of time and space completely being altered in your consciousness. For example, if you're an artist, classical musician, a novelist, a worl-class surgeon, or even a sports-enthusiast of any kind -- then you'll appreciate Flow and will relate to the theories ad More...

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Jul 31, 2007

Dianne rated it:

this book makes a lot of sense. it's about happiness, consciousness, work, relationships, and purpose--and basically, the thesis is that people are happiest when they have clear goals and well-defined perimeters to work within to achieve those goals.

sounds a little dry, but I found it both interesting and relevant. as someone who is still working out what my "ideal" career or life model looks like, I enjoyed seeing my typical questions examined by a research psychologist, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Andy added it

My notes, including liberal use of direct quotes:

8 elements of enjoyment:

1. confront challenging but completable tasks
2. concentration
3. clear goals
4. immediate feedback
5. deep, effortless involvement (lack of awareness of worries and frustrations)
6. sense of control over actions
7. concern for self disappears (paradoxically awareness of self is heightened immediately after flow)
8. sense of duration of time is altered

5 elements of happy teenagers' growing up:

1. clarity
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 10, 2011

Matt rated it:

I really really liked this book because of how engrossed I became in it, experience the "flow" the title refers to. The title basically refers to being "in the zone" or "wired in" whenever your attention is completely absorbed in an activity. Flow is available anywhere at anytime: waiting in line at the grocery store or writing a research paper. In this focused state, you both lose and gain a sense of self and come out the other side a more complex and happier perso More...

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Feb 28, 2011

King rated it:

Flow is the state where all mental energies are concentrated on an event which results in the person attaining "optimal experience," which is basically happiness. C(I refuse to spell this authors insane surname), states that to be happy we need to lessen our mental chaos by providing/creating a structure for our mental energies to play in. He identifies certain conditions required to achieve flow:

1. The person must be engaged in an activity that requires skill.
2. T More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 28, 2011

Mirek rated it:

In Flow, Csikszentmihalyi tackles happiness itself. This is not to be mistaken for a work of philosophy, however; the author is a psychologist, and turns to his studies to uncover the times we feel happiest. His thesis is that happiness (not to be mistaken for pleasure) is greatest when a person is in a condition called 'flow' - a condition of 'optimal experience'. When you're in flow, your attention is willfully directed at the task at hand; you feel challenged, but you're skills are adequate t More...

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Feb 06, 2010

Braxtonlewis rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 03, 2010

Brian rated it:

I started reading this book many years ago and didn't have time to finish it. Then when I was on vacation in Arizona this book came up a few times in conversation and print, so I thought I better check it out again.

It is an interesting examination on the concept of flow, the feeling one gets when they are emotionally or physically or intellectually (or sometimes a combination of all these) involved in a task that lets them wholly focus on that task and lose a part of themselves. Fo More...

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Jul 13, 2009

Michael rated it:

"Flow" is a book that discusses on a deeper, more academic level, the same essential subject as "Mastery" by George Leonard. Csikczentmihalyi is a psychologist who asked the question, "why are we always studying people in crisis and trauma, why don't we try to learn about what it is to be happy?" This book is the result. He finds that sustained happiness results from "Flow:" "a state of consciousness so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption i More...

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Jul 04, 2009

Ldrutman rated it:

Really, the psychology of existentialism. The key to a pleasant experience is to find some purpose, some meaning, somewhere in the chaos of existence and then to work towards an appropriately challenging goal. The idea is that in working towards that goal with one's full intention, one achieves "flow" -- that pleasant sensation of being completely in the moment, being detached from concern about self (i.e., all of one's anxieties, fears, etc.). This feeling is what I think I feel when More...

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Mar 12, 2011

Sandy rated it:

I listened to the audio version of this book, which was mostly read by the author. It was only two hours, which is pretty annotated for an audio book. While I got the gist of it, I did feel like I wasn't getting the whole story. It was more like a summary. I do like the idea of living moment to moment, making the most of what is most of our lives, that mundane collection of must-dos, but the author doesn't really give a whole lot of insight into the process (at least not in the audio version). I More...

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Mar 18, 2010

FiveBooks rated it:

Journalist Tom Chatfield of Prospect has chosen to discuss Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject - Videogames, saying that:

“The notion of flow is the idea that there is a state that is characterised by complete immersion in an activity, by a constant response to stimuli, and a perfect match between your ability and the challenge in front of you, that puts people into a state that has often been describ More...

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Aug 21, 2009

Grayson rated it:

Although this is very sophisticated for a self-help book, I believe the same adage applies to it as to every other type of advice: if you were capable of following this advice, you wouldn't have needed it in the first place.

Flow defines a state of "optimal experience" where a person is totally engaged in a task whose challenges are perfectly matched to abilities. The author goes to great lengths to describe the many areas of life in which this is possible, but eventually mu More...

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Feb 18, 2009

Helynne rated it:

I read this book a few years ago on the recommendation of another book I read, then I started noticing more and more how often Flow is quoted in numerous other books as well. Author Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi defines "Flow" as "optimal experience" for creativity. Flow is, he says, "The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake More...

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Jan 31, 2011

Amanda rated it:

I really really wanted to like this book and get something out of it, but I just didn't respond to it as much as I hoped. It was given to me as part of a new book club we have going at work, and others have seemed to really enjoy what it had to say. The basic premise is that humans should seek to have "flow" in all they do -- flow being a state of optimal experience, when your mind or body is pushed to its limit and you feel most alive. Examples for me would be riding the Pan Mass Chal More...

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Mar 26, 2011

Mallie rated it:

Absolutely fantastic. I think anyone and everyone should read this book. It teaches the reader about how to conciously in the moment. It made me rethink how I spend my "free time" and all the possibilities that open up just by thinking about how to focus time, attention an energy.

I have many favorite quotations for this one:

"Because attention determines what will or will not appear in conciousness, and because it is also required to make any other mental More...

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Jun 09, 2011

Chase rated it:

I learned a lot from this book and chose to write a comprehensive essay on it. If you are at all interested in reading this, see below for some of the themes that the book covers.

Flow is “the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it” (4). Achieving a state of flow is described as an optimal experience, in that it is a “situatio More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Neelesh rated it:

Reading this book itself has been a 'flow' experience, which is a testament to Mr Csikszentmihalyi's (if that is not a mouthful, what is!) writing and his choice of the topic itself.

The book celebrates the cardinal importance of the quality of experience over conventional success metrics/ outcome norms that people pursue.

My key takeaways from the book are:
1) The 'flow zone' definition on the skills-challenges 2x2
2) The role of complexity and the modeling of 'dissipative structures' in creating o More...

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Oct 14, 2011

Preston rated it:

He describes what flow is. So , true to form, he does not really delve into "how" to get flow. He touches upon it, but it is definitely more descriptive of what flow is. Maybe more of an interesting read than a practical or pragmatic one. Still would recommend it, not at the top of my list but eventually one should read it.
The biggest question that kept coming up in my mind was, "what is the line between insanity and sanity? Between being conte More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Cade rated it:

Pre-read: Hopefully not too 'New-Agey'. 'Flow' - I hope I have it when reading it, it's for uni. 'Creativity' is next.

Post-read: 'Dense?' Don't understand how one could find it dense. It is an easy read, based on really only the one argument - 'flow and optimal experience'. Personally, I gained little from the book - isn't most of it common sense? Of course if you enrich your life with valuable and enjoyable activities and establish realistic goals - give your life 'meaning' - you will be happi More...

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Jul 06, 2010

Anthony rated it:

Flow is the layperson's guide to the Experience Sampling Study research conducted by Csikszentmihalyi and colleagues at UChicago on several thousand individuals from across the world and all walks of life. Study participants were fitted with a beeper that would chime routinely throughout the day, prompting the wearer to write down what they were doing at that time and how they felt. Results were compiled and the 'flow model' formulated to explain the 'oneness' and 'peacefulness' experienced by More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Tarek rated it:

A great book that sheds light on achieving happiness without being one of those how-to selp help mambo jambo. Flow is a state of being, where all ur psychic energy is channeled towards a specific goal or activity thereby neutralizing entropy. A must read for anyone that wants to live a life full of energy and joy.

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Jan 27, 2009

R. rated it:

"Flow: the psychology of optimal experience" deconstructs, then rebuilds, obtaining high levels of performance. Based off of a gamut of interviews; varying from American doctors and Polish welders to Egyptian homeless and Alaskan dogsledders, author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi finds the interlinking thread between all of these seemingly disparate careers. Whatever career or achievement, Mihaly deducts that ultimate experiences are gained by setting obtainable goals, self induced boundar More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Alex rated it:

This book has a sometimes annoying pedantic tone, but is basically an interesting repackaging of Buddhist ideas with a view to providing concrete recommendations for how to enjoy your life more. I don't think the author specifically aligns himself with Buddhism, but the parallels are clear to me.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

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