Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

book data

699 ratings, 4.00 average rating, 125 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		32%
4		39%
3		22%
2		4%
1		1%

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published

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

binding

Paperback, 320 pages

isbn

0060920432 (isbn13: 9780060920432)

description

You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation o...more

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08/21/07

Mark rated it:

bookshelves: psychology

Read in March, 1998

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

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08/26/08

Guillaume added it

Read in September, 2008

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 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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07/10/08

Herbie added it

Read in July, 2008

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 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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01/30/08

Layla rated it:

bookshelves: self-improvement

Read in April, 2008

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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03/23/07

Sal Kasm rated it:

Read in December, 1999

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 ad...more

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07/10/07

Dianne rated it:

Read in July, 2007

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, ...more

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07/04/09

Ldrutman rated it:

Read in July, 2009

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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02/11/09

Helynne rated it:

Read in January, 2005

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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08/13/07

Tarek Sabra rated it:

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

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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01/07/09

R. rated it:

Read in January, 2009

"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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06/17/07

Alex Hasha rated it:

bookshelves: philosophy

Read in June, 2007

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.

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01/29/09

Dan rated it:

Read in February, 2009

U. of Chicago psychology professor Csikszentmihalyi, like Martin Seligman, has spent his career studying the ingredients of a fulfilling life and he's eloquently distilled his findings in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Sounds like the premise of a self-help book? Not quite. 'mihlayi's conclusions don't easily lend themselves to pithy prescriptions or bullet-pointed advice. Whatever "advice" you might find in the book will have to arise from your own interpretation and unde...more U. of Chicago psychology professor Csikszentmihalyi, like Martin Seligman, has spent his career studying the ingredients of a fulfilling life and he's eloquently distilled his findings in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Sounds like the premise of a self-help book? Not quite. 'mihlayi's conclusions don't easily lend themselves to pithy prescriptions or bullet-pointed advice. Whatever "advice" you might find in the book will have to arise from your own interpretation and understanding of the anecdotes and concepts he presents. But there is plenty to learn here for anyone trying to better understand the ups and downs of life, and what parameters can make life either fulfilling or stultifying.

'mihalyi's central theme is that the most consistently satisfying experiences arise from a state he calls (you guessed it) "flow." The term actually comes from his hundreds of subjects, whom he studied to gain a deeper understanding of the inner experience of happiness. They often used phrases like, "I felt like everything just flowed," "I was moving instinctively, like there was a natural flow," etc. Breaking these events down, he concludes that flow tends to occur when an individual is engaged in an activity:
- with specific rules, goals, and a delimited time frame
- that calls on specific skills, and
- that challenges (but does not exceed) the person's abilities

This could be almost anything: a stimulating conversation, assembling toasters on a conveyer belt, tinkling on the ukelele, baking bread. But meeting the above conditions is not so simple. If a conversation doesn't tax your intellect or knowledge in any way, you'll hardly be aware it's happening, much less enjoy it. If your ukelele-playing has no goal (e.g. performing a song from beginning to end) it will be an unsatisfying experience. And so on.

The short message of the book is this: those people who find a way to make of their lives one long flow experience, marked by a series of challenging and engaging activities, end up leading fulfilling lives. 'mihalyi is careful to counter the idea that one should deliberately orchestrate such a life; it's more about deepening your awareness of the world around you, recognizing the natural flow of events and sensations, and responding to them intuitively--the sort of traits that characterize great athletes, musicians, and other performers. He mentions meditation, prayer and other practices as useful to master this state of being.

Apart from that, 'mihalyi mostly illustrates his concepts with anecdotes drawn from a multi-country, longitudinal study of human happiness, and by the end you get a fascinating, synoptic view of the human psyche and human activity. No easy answers to be sure, but it presents a surprisingly solid conceptual and lexical foundation for understanding an otherwise slippery subject.(less)

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11/14/08

Taka rated it:

bookshelves: japan_jul07-present, social-science

Read in November, 2008

Great in the beginning, peters out toward the end--

I was really excited to read this book. The first half of the book was so interesting that I was in flow as I read about flow itself. I must say it was unreal. The concept of flow is a very powerful and useful framework to look at what makes people happy, and looking at myself, I see how I have been driven all my life to achieve as much flow as possible. It was one of those instances where you realize something about the world and y...more

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12/10/08

James rated it:

(review of isbn 0743525043)

Read in December, 2008

This is supposed to be the abridged version of the book but it's more of a general summary of it all. While there are several interesting points and great to hear the actual voice of the author, this thing is over way too fast.

Aside from the length, the idea of "Flow" and the methods to achieve are great. Best way to sum it up is when you "Get in zone" when you're doing something. You're so into it, everything around disappears. This audio CD briefly goes into it ...more

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06/05/09

Shawn rated it:

bookshelves: management, personal-development

Read in January, 1991

I read this nearly 20 years ago, and it helped to shape the way I think about a personal development and also about management.

Flow is the theory that people are most happy when they are in a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand.

In an interview with Wired magazine, Csíkszentmihályi described flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought foll...more

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02/16/09

Christie rated it:

Read in January, 1998

This book gave me a name -- flow -- for how I feel when I am engaged in activities that are challenging and fun (like field hockey and making art journals), so much so that we lose track of time and self. Now I know why we have a drive to keep raising the bar for ourselves -- so that we can once again enter into a state of flow. Children can enter a state of flow too, if they are given uninterrupted blocks of time. And whatever allows them/us to be in flow is their/our innate passion/brillianc...more

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01/03/09

Jen rated it:

Read in January, 2009

The concepts in the book were interesting. It's a good reminder to try to focus on the positive (car won't start so you can't run your errands - think of all the stuff you can get done at home in the time you would've spent running errands, etc). I was hoping the "how to be happy at work" section would be more helpful. Haha.

The author's style was incredibly verbose - to the point where I attempted reading just the first and last paragraph of a section and found that I go...more

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12/24/08

Eric rated it:

Read in March, 2009

The thesis of this book is that life is a subjective experience that we can discipline ourselves to control. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, what we take away from the things we experience is entirely up to us, be it joyful or miserable. The key to being able to make the most of life is to foster an "autotelic" personality, where one pursues goals for their own sake and not for an extrinsic reason such as the approval of others or to gain some material advantage. ...more

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07/01/08

Rick rated it:

(review of isbn 0060162538)

bookshelves: design, philosophy, self-help

Read in March, 2009

The most dense learning can be done near the beginning and reviewed at the end. The middle is a series of examinations of how Flow can be achieved through lot's of different kinds of activities. Understanding flow is like understanding focused attention; it's VERY difficult to describe if you've not experienced before. Mihaly not only describes it well, but claims that it's a practicable, reproducible skill, and goes so far as seem to claim that deep states of religious experience aren't really...more

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02/13/08

Johnny rated it:

bookshelves: psychology

Read in July, 2006

We've all heard the axiom/cliche', "Work smarter, not harder." This bit of purported wisdom has always sounded too hollow to be of any value to me, but I wasn't sure why until I read this most enlightening book. The same effort can achieve very different results depending upon how we are applying it.

The basic thesis point is that there is an optimal channel for experiencing/achieving that could be graphed on an x-y coordinate between challenging and simple. If our activity is...more

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"The psychic entropy peculiar to the human condition involves seeing more to do than one can actually accomplish and feeling able to accomplish more than what conditions allow." More quotes...