Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

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Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 9,254 ratings · 509 reviews

The bestselling introduction to "flow"--a groundbreaking psychological theory that shows readers how to improve the quality of life."

Paperback, 303 pages

Published March 13th 1991 by Harper Perennial (first published 1990)

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Aug 21, 2007 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology

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 achieve a state...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Jeff marked it as books-i-didn-t-finish

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 usually enough to illustrate a...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Tomio rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poppsych

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 ultimately preferable to the former. While a...more 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 ultimately preferable to the former. While a large portion of the book is dedicated to examples of how one can achieve this state in all aspects of life and how this can lead to a more pleasant and fulfilling life, from a game developer perspective I found the requirements for such a state much more interesting than the anecdotal evidence.

Csikszentmihaly describes eight aspects of an enjoyable experience, though in terms of requirements, there are really four:

1) Skill must match challenge, and vice versa. From my own experience, this is utmost in creating a state of flow. If skill exceeds the challenge of the task, then one falls into boredom and distraction, and if the challenge is too great for one's skill, there is only frustration. Attaining goals, therefore, must be difficult, but not impossible.

2) Goals must be clear. Without clearly defined markers of achievement, an activity can easily fall into frustration. They grant direction and purpose to the task, and a way of knowing when one is done. The goal need not be anything more than completing the task at hand (such as hiking a mountain), so long as the goal is well defined.

3) Feedback. There must be feedback that one is approaching one's goals. One needs feedback frequently enough to gauge how well one is doing, so that one can either feel good about the progress, or adjust tactics, depending on the content of the feedback.

4) Concentration. If a task can be accomplished without explicit attention, then it is merely a distraction. The feedback should always guide attention to the next task.

The other four aspects the author presents (that the activity removes awareness of factors outside the task, that one feels in control of the activity, that one's sense of self dissipates during the activity, and that one's sense of time is altered) to me all seem like effects rather than causes of flow.

Csikszentmihaly was fairly strongly against "passive" flow activities like watching television, because he argued it required no skill and did not improve the self. However, having read Everything Bad is Good For You I'm not sure I can entirely agree. If you accept his posit that social interactions can also be valid flow activities, then there is no particular reason observing and analyzing the interactions of others (televised or not) would not also be enjoyable and beneficial, if not always pleasant, per se. There must be a reason we watch bad television even when we know it to be bad.

So, round about, it is a decent book, and the first half at least is well worth the read for anyone working in interactive media.(less)

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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 participants are getting. Such Flow experien...more 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 participants are getting. Such Flow experiences lead to personal growth and true happiness.

These very simple recommendations can be applied to one's life, to educating children, to manage people in a corporate environment, or to define a country's policies.

Some quotes I found interesting:

"If we assume, however, that the desire to achieve optimal experience is the foremost goal of every human being, the difficulties of interpretation raised by cultural relativism become less severe. Each social system can then be evaluated in terms of how much psychic entropy it causes, measuring that disorder not with reference to the ideal order of one or another belief system, but with reference to the goals of the members of that society. A starting point would be to say that one society is "better" than another if a greater number of its people have access to experiences that are in line with their goals. A second essential criterion would specify that these experiences should lead to the growth of the self on an individual level, by allowing as many people as possible to develop increasingly complex skills."

"The Isé Shrine [south of Kyoto, Japan] was built about fifteen hundred years ago on one of a pair of adjacent fields. Every twenty years or os it has been taken down from the field it was standing on and rebuilt on the next one. By 1973, it had been reerected for the sixtieth time. The strategy adopted by the monks of Isé resembles one that several statesmen have only dreamed about accomplishing. For example, both Thomas Jefferson and Chairman Mao Ze-dong believed that each generation needed to make its own revolution for its members to stay actively involved in the political system ruling their lives"

Things that go against Flow:
- "Anomy: the norms of society have become muddled"
- "Alienation: people are constrained by the social system to act in ways that go against their goals."

"Family context promoting optimal experience could be described as having five characteristics. The first one is clarity: teenagers feel that they know what their parents expect from them - goal and feedback in the family interaction are unambiguous. The second is centering, or the children's perception that their parents are interested in what they are doing in the present, in their concrete feelings and experiences, rather than preoccupied with whether they will be getting into a good college or obtaining a well-paying job. Next is the issue of choice: children feel that they have a variety of possibilities from which to choose, including that of breaking parental rules - as long as they are prepared to face the consequences. The fourth differentiating characteristic is commitment, or the trust that allows the child to feel comfortable enough to set aside the shield of his defenses and become unselfconsciously involved in whatever he is interested in. And finally there is challenge, or the parents' dedication to provide increasingly complex opportunities for action to their children"(less)

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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 same time tha...more 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 same time that the book has an aura of scholarly dryness, it is not afraid to reference, in a loose and almost associative way, everything and anything - modern life, ancient cultures, philosophies from every corner of the world, sports, games, etc. The ubiquity of the television is often discussed. I would like to put this book's perspective on TV up against Don't Let Me Be Lonely and see what ensues.

Some quotes:

"The largest part of free time - almost half of it for American adults - is spent in front of the television set... although watching TV requires the processing of visual images, very little else in the way of memor, thinking, or volition is required. Not surprisingly, people report some of the lowest levels of concentration, use of skills, clarity of thought, and feelings of potency when watching television. The other leisure activities people usually do at home are only a little more demanding. Reading most newspapers and magazines, talking to other people, and gazing out the window also involve processing very little new information, and thus require little concentration." (30)

"Olympians do not have an exclusive gift in finding enjoyment in pushing performance beyond existing boundaries. Every person, no matter how unfit he or she is, can rise a little higher, go a little faster, and grow to be a little stronger. The joy of surpassing the limits of the body is open to all." (97)

On the "institution of 'drinking buddies:'"

"In the congenial atmosphere of tavern, pub... they grind the day away playing cards, darts, or checkers while arguing and teasing one another. Meanwhile everyone feels his existence validated by the reciprocal attention paid to one another's ideas and idiosyncracies. This... keeps at bay the disorganization that solitude brings to the passive mind, but without stimulating much growth. It is rather like a collective form of television watching, and although it is more complex in that it requires participation, its actions and phrases tend to be rigidly scripted and highly predictable." (186)

"When average people are asked to name the individuals they admire the most, and to explain why these men and women are admired, courage and the ability to overcome hardship are the qualities most often mentioned as a reason for admiration." (200)

"The future will belong not only to the educated man, but to the man who is educated to use his leisure wisely." - C.K. Brightbill, quoted on p 163.(less)

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Apr 25, 2008 Layla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: self-improvement

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 manner that is...more

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Mar 24, 2007 S Kasm rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Inspiration

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 advanced in this incredibly expa...more

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Jul 31, 2007 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: just about anyone

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, and applied to a large...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Andy Mitchell 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
2. centering: pare...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Chuck rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow" has been on my 'to-read' list for quite a number of years. And I am happy to say that I have finally had the opportunity to read it.

The book starts out about the meaning of life and happiness. The author begins with the standard argument that the universe is essentially uncaring about us and our feelings; And that our feelings are our responsibility. After some discussion, he concludes that one form of meaning and happiness is "Flow".

"Flow" is defined as a state...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Kater Cheek rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because it had been mentioned in many bibliographies of books I've read in the past couple of years, and because people who have read it said it was amazing.

Basically, it talks about how most people feel happiness when they are completely engaged in what they are doing so much that they tend to lose track of time, and they lose a sense of self. Sometimes they also feel engaged with other people in this "flow" state. This book purports to tell you how to achieve "flow" more ofte...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Alex Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once in a while a book comes along where the author takes one concept, loves it, examines it and attempts to provide a cohesive account of everything through that one concept. Csikszentmihalyi did just that. This book ranges on topics from philosophy, religion, and everyday experience to attempting to account for people's mental break downs as well as their joys in life. Of course, to have such a wide range, he must take a theoretical approach -- but it cannot be scientific. Much of the ideas he...more Once in a while a book comes along where the author takes one concept, loves it, examines it and attempts to provide a cohesive account of everything through that one concept. Csikszentmihalyi did just that. This book ranges on topics from philosophy, religion, and everyday experience to attempting to account for people's mental break downs as well as their joys in life. Of course, to have such a wide range, he must take a theoretical approach -- but it cannot be scientific. Much of the ideas he discusses cannot be tested or validated through the scientific method. There are no metrics for us to use on so wide a topic such as life. The reader then, must decide for himself if Csikszentmihalyi makes any sense or not, which is the experience all of us have of any book anyway.

What I found delightful about this book was that I read it at a time when I felt somewhat lost. One of the daily struggles we have as people in a first world environment is to question our role in life. What is the proper work-life balance? How can we be happy? What is the point of our daily struggles? I believe the role of philosophy and other meta-structures (religion is one) should be to help us answer such questions. We cannot gain answers for our specific lives through general inquiry. For a general inquiry to be successful at doing so, it would have to account for any possible variation of attitude and meaning we encounter -- a real impossibility. So the force of our own answers must be found through the force of one's own will, determination, faith and character. Our attitude must first and foremost be that which allows us the openness and flexibility to best meet the conditions of our particular lives in a way that leave us feeling fulfilled. Not just for instant gratification but also to allow us to develop the meaning that each of us needs, so that we do not feel things are pointless or without fruit.

This should be, I believe, the role of philosophy, the role of any inquiry into the metaphysical... but nowadays with the many external pressures on academia, many general thought analysies are too particular, too outdated or not applicable. Often, the authors we look to for guidance, have their own personal agendas, struggles particular to their lives. Should their writing be applicable to us in our lives, it would be a happy accident.

This book attempts to address that role of philosophy for us, to outline for us the the conditions by which each of us may find that attitude. In the end this book is but a book though, and while interesting reading, for me, it cannot determine how we should create those conditions for ourselves. Nonetheless, I do find it to be a compelling read, an inspiration for myself when I read it.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Dave Groff rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd seen Csikszentmihalyi referenced many times over the years with regard to his theory of "flow" states. He's known as one of the main players in the field of "positive psychology", but make no mistake: Csikszentmihalyi is not of the watered-down "think positive thoughts" school ("positive psychology" in fact originally refers to psychology applied with the intention of optimizing experience, rather than focusing on dealing with psychological problems). His comprehensive framework for analyzin...more I'd seen Csikszentmihalyi referenced many times over the years with regard to his theory of "flow" states. He's known as one of the main players in the field of "positive psychology", but make no mistake: Csikszentmihalyi is not of the watered-down "think positive thoughts" school ("positive psychology" in fact originally refers to psychology applied with the intention of optimizing experience, rather than focusing on dealing with psychological problems). His comprehensive framework for analyzing both personal psychology and elements of culture in the context of evolution -- the balance of integration and differentiation, the importance of challenges, the creation of order and rules, and the necessity of evaluable feedback -- explain well the discrepancy between happiness and simple access to leisure or wealth, in any situation. His conclusions mirrored many of my own, though arrived at independently and through different avenues, though his often more cogently expressed than I would have been capable of; I was heartened that such a clearly expansive and analytical mind came to so many of the same decisions about the nature of experience and culture at large.

A couple of linguistic caveats: Csikszentmihalyi uses the word "psychic" a lot (especially with regard to "psychic energy") which is perhaps a bit unfortunate, given the word's common association with the paranormal. But Csikszentmihalyi is using the word with no reference to the paranormal, but rather in the more traditional sense of "of the psyche", i.e. as a shorthand for "mental and emotional". I found that simply substituting "mental/emotional" was helpful in avoiding the problem. Another word that is central to Csikszentmihalyi's theory is "complex", and again, this word has perhaps unfortunate connotations in common contemporary parlance, as it has a tendency to be construed as a synonym for "complicated". However, Csikszentmihalyi uses it in a very specific way, referring to a balance of integration and differentiation; it's a little hard to keep the other meaning out of the way, and perhaps Csikszentmihalyi would have done well to choose a different term, or perhaps devise a new one.

That said, this is a fantastic book on, essentially, what makes any given life worth living.

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Oct 14, 2012 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars

After coming across Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's intimidating and intriguing name several times on the Internets (in particular on Wikipedia) I decided it was finally time to tackle one of his books.

Things I liked:
-Stories and anecdotes from Csikszentmihalyi's research subjects. Csikszentmihalyi has clearly met a large number of fantastically awesome people in the course of his research on 'flow' and he does a pretty good job of weaving their experiences into the framework of his book.
-Appeals to...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Ted rated it 4 of 5 stars

Who would have ever thought that work can make us more happy than vacation? According to studies performed by Csikszentmihalyi, this is often true. We are often happier when we fine ourselves fully engaged in an activity, so much so that we lose ourselves in it, and lose our sense of time. Most of us dream at work about how happy we'll be when we get to spend some time sipping fruity drinks on a beach. However, the author's study indicates that if our skills are challenged enough and if we get a...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

There a lot of internal contradictions in this book that annoyed me. I wrote a lot of marginal comments. C. talks mostly about flow in extraordinary situations and seems to derive his description of it from the extraordinary. Then he suggests we cultivate the same level of challenge and intense concentration in everything we do. He once cited dishwashing as an example. He calls flow an optimal experience but found that sometimes when people are technically (by his definition) in flow at work tha...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Ever asked yourself the question
What is meaning of life?
Or maybe something more subtle yet stronger like
What is the Purpose of my life?

Have you found the answer?

If the answer is no, then this is a book you must read.
If the answer is yes, then this is a book you must read.

Yes folks, this is the impact the book had on me.

This book not only answers the most profound and complex question which is sub...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Kaiser rated it 5 of 5 stars

The jest of the book is finding your place in the long tradition of cosmos of those who came before you and after you by creating the sort of congruence that crystallizes your place in the larger picture while not taking yourself too seriously...being influential with humility by making the full use of your psychic energy to have the biggest impact on the people around you while you are alive.

His take away message is that long lasting friendships, engaging conversations, family (parents, spouse,...more The jest of the book is finding your place in the long tradition of cosmos of those who came before you and after you by creating the sort of congruence that crystallizes your place in the larger picture while not taking yourself too seriously...being influential with humility by making the full use of your psychic energy to have the biggest impact on the people around you while you are alive.

His take away message is that long lasting friendships, engaging conversations, family (parents, spouse, children) are all important support factors in leading a fulfilling life. The purpose of life to find a work that transcends the traditional definition of hour by hour work and becomes almost a lifestyle. So that work and leisure are interconnected in such a harmonious way that the individual does not suffer from indecision as to when his free time is colliding with his work time.
I will add to that the point bought by Jorge Perez (billionaire blueprint) that you cannot separate work and family either. Your work circle belongs to your friend circle and ultimately all events, parties, get together involves getting work friends to engage with family, thus creating an unbroken symbiosis. That way the person never feels that his work time is conflicting with family/friends time or his leisure time. Conversations during leisure can involve the side projects that I can work on, for example: if I am working on a problem, involving discussions that help me get better insight while engaging me deeply with my work and deepen my relationships with other people.
Mihaly, the author, also brings about the point that work can be a source of flow where the intrinsic rewards of work outweigh the extrinsic, and the person is free to choose his goals and set the difficulty of the task. The joy of extending the mind's reach into new territory helps people achieve high skill, high challenge flow type work experiences.
Mihaly contends that normal everyday activities that necessarily does not bring any challenge or happiness but must be done can also be engineered to be a flow activity if we challenge ourselves by setting goals on how efficiently or quickly we can do it. Goal setting is key to flow since once we have a clear goal, and all our concentration is focused on reaching that goal, there is no distractions that can get in the way because the mind becomes so focused and tuned to the task that time itself is lost. His thoughts on time is that it is a precious resource and we owe it to ourselves to be responsible with it, and use it to our potential and make sure that psychic energy is never underutilized.

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Mar 18, 2012 Filip Kis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

Recommended by one friend, seen on a impressive book shelf (from my perspective) and then recommended by another friend (who at the same time is quite critical and has similar taste) while at all of that time I had a book in my possession (needing to return it to somebody). Now I decided it's time to see what's all the fuss (and that I can finally return it as well) :)

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Aug 10, 2011 Matt Hoffer rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 person. Pleasure in the way we norm...more

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Feb 28, 2011 King rated it 2 of 5 stars

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. There is a convergence of Acti...more 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. There is a convergence of Action and Awareness
3. Clear goals and feedback
4. The activity has structure
5. Focus
6. The loss of self consciousness
7. The loss of the awareness of time

To be honest I was disappointed with this book. After reading Haidt's "The Happiness Hypothesis," I had such high expectations for one of the pioneers of the Positive Psychology movement. I can see why some critics claim the movement is merely neo-humanism. A rehashing of what Adler, Maslow, Erickson et al have said.

To be fair though, he did write in the preface that he had written this edition in laymen's terms. I think he watered it down too much. It read like a run of the mill self-help book, with the usual "its not the situation, it's your interpretation of it," that determines your feelings, etc. etc. etc.

I feel like the book merely points out things that, on some level, we all intuitively know already. The book is content in merely observing and categorizing human behavior, an attribute of popular psychology, which I feel gives psychology demerits in credibility. The book is content with saying aim for this but barely touches the surface of the important thing which is: how?

I also have qualms in C's method of data collection. He uses a method he calls the ESM or Experience Sampling Method. The method involves giving subjects a pager that will sound at certain points of the day. The subject is then suppose to write down their feelings at that time. Basically a sporadic interviewing of the subjects. This poses a problem as what people write are not really what they mean. For example, in Cacioppo and Patrick's "Loneliness," they presented a subject who overtly showed and expressed that he was a happy person. But when the subject was asked to answer a questionnaire used to determine if someone is depressed, his answers revealed that he was indeed the opposite of what he was telling people. He was depressed and he agreed to the findings of the questionnaire. Of course in any science, our measurements are only as good as the tools we use to measure with. In psychology, this becomes convoluted.

I do however, think of the postulates much. Particularly when I am working with my client who is cognitively impaired, I think, "How can I get this person into flow?" So there is definitely something there. I just wish he hadn't buried the paradigm with glitter. (less)

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Feb 28, 2011 Mirek Kukla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: social-sciences

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 Braxton Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Excerpts direct from text:

"Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a course greater than oneself."

The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.

… optimal experiences add up to a sense of master--or perh...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

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. For most people,...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Setians, Psychologists, Initiates

Recommended to Michael by: ToS RL

Shelves: left-hand-path, psychology, self-help

"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 in an activity." He finds that people achieve...more

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Jul 04, 2009 Ldrutman Drutman rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 playing a...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Torben Rasmussen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book on something as universal as happiness. At the same time something as concrete and relevant as how become more productive and enjoy your work and life in general.

A proper understanding of the dynamics and nature of flow seems to be a key ingredient in enabling higher productivity with happier people. The intentional coupling of the experience of flow to that of happiness is original and gives a new and clearer perspective on how to deal with with challenges small and...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Sandy Parsons rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fivebooks-on-video-games

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 described as feeli...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Helynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 of doing it" (40). He also...more

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About Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

A Hungarian psychology professor, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Now at Claremont Graduate University, he is the former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago and of the department of sociology and anthropology at Lake Forest College.

He is noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity and also for his notoriously difficult name, i...more

More about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi...

Books by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life

The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium

Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning

The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self

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Quotes from Flow: The Psychology o...

“Control of consciousness determines the quality of life.” — 17 people liked it

“Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide feedback to the person's skills, it usually begins to be intrinsically rewarding.” — 12 people liked it

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Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

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