A fundamental psychological text which introduces one of the central pieces to shape game design and performance.

Flow still remains a mysterious factor but ever growing in socio economic relevance. If society “flowed” might we forget many other problems? ( )

Simply the most important book for anyone who wants a passion and not just a career. Too many people ask themselves the wrong question. Am I happy? What is happiness? etc.. Instead of getting an answer, they get caught in the debate, because they aren't really looking to be happy. They are looking for Flow. (Of course it sounds funny to say "I'm flow" not the best word choice on his part. To me, its better described as nirvana.)

Flow is that feeling when you are so at one with what you are doing that everything else fades away. It could be that feeling when you are laughing with your kids or making a new discovery at work, or baking a cake or helping a divorced couple find a way to get along so the kids don't suffer. It's whatever you do that makes you so absorbed in it, you are one with the task at that moment. And the fulfillment and satisfaction accompanying those moments is really what most of us seek when we use the word happiness.

( )

Better than average self-help book by a respected psychologist. But it's still basically a self-help book and a 23-year-old one at that. I guess I was expecting a little more. ( )

Flow is a concept extensively researched by Csikszentmihalyi (chick-sent-me-hi). It is the state that one gets into when one is concentrating and focused. Flow is a product of an organized consciousness.

The book starts by looking at happiness. Study participants report themselves to be happier when they have been in a state of flow. (One surprising consequence is that, in general, people have more positive experiences when working than during their leisure time.) Happiness is more often caused by situations that cause enjoyment than those that cause pleasure. Pleasure is what one feels when fulfilling biological or psychological needs. Enjoyment is what one feels when one is actively creating a positive experience that goes beyond basic needs. One activity can have elements of both; a food lover may feel pleasure eating (because eating satisfies hunger) and enjoyment (because the food lover appreciates the meal as an experience).

Having concluded that happiness is often caused by being in the state of flow, the author details elements of the flow experience:

A challenging activity that requires skills. Flow experiences are often seen as enjoyable because they are challenging. One has to concentrate and use skills that are not used in day to day experience.

The merging of action and awareness. Action may feel effortless when one is in a flow state. The experience is the center of activity, so one does not think about the difficulty of what one is doing.

Clear goals and feedback. Games and sports are common flow activities. One reason for this is that they have clearly defined goals and provide ample feedback. Having clear goals and feedback helps prevent one from becoming frustrated or bored.

Concentration on the task at hand. People in a state of flow are concentrating on their task to the exclusion of day to day concerns. That explains why I am so absent minded!

The paradox of control. People in a state of flow do not worry about losing control. This does not mean that they are reckless. A rock climber in a state of flow is aware of how every action affects their safety. They just are confident that they can prevent failure. This is called a paradox because it occurs in situations where, in some ways, one has less control because the situation is governed by rules or otherwise restricted.

The loss of self-consciousness. Being in a state of flow results in a concept of one's self that is more complex. During the flow experience, however, one's self-consciousness decreases. Instead of concentrating on oneself, one concentrates on the activity at hand.

The transformation of time. During a flow experience, time may seem to go quickly or slowly. Time may seem to go quickly while one is lost in the flow, but at moments when concentration is most vital it may seem to slow down so that one has time to take in every detail.

The rest of book describes different experiences that can cause the flow state. There are chapters describing the state of flow as it relates to physical experiences, mental experiences, work, people, and even tragedy. This section of the book contains many examples from various studies.

Csikszentmihalyi's book takes a reasonably rigorous look at an interesting and important psychological phenomenon. Anyone who has seen the term "flow" bandied around on the internet and wondered if it was a well founded concept would do well to read this book. ( )

Today was a Saturday. I spent most of the day worrying about what to make for dinner, watching my toddler, and doing miscellaneous stuff. But I determined, in the late afternoon, to replace the flush valve in the bathroom. Even though I had put it off for a week, and wasn't looking forward to getting that up close and personal with my toilet, it was the quickest, most enjoyable hour of my day. What happened? Flow.

I've heard Csikszentmihalyi's work summarized multiple times(he's a big thing in the business world)*, but that doesn't mean that I heard it all. In fact, the summarization of his definition of "Flow" is just the beginning of what ends up being a powerful argument for meaning, accountability, and growth.

I, being me, would love a Chicago style of notes but the notes are definitely there in my non-preferred style. His chapters on others were really interesting. He would be an interesting soul to chat with.

*Simon Sinek has a lovely pronunciation guide of his name in one of his books. :) ( )

This book taught me a lot. ( )

Written in 1990, "Flow" is one of the many many books which explicitly warned us of the danger to society when power is seized by "unscrupulous and demented people". [231] Not one word of this academic work could be described as "political diatribe" -- this is simply the explanation of various ebbs and flows in the processes of life and enlivenment. The book summarizes joy, creativity, and the "process" of life he calls flow. Nature not only abhors a vacuum, but dictators as well.

Mikaly Csikszentmihalyi (born 1934, Croatia) is a Psychologist who taught at Chicago and Claremont Graduate University, and has studied happiness and creativity. Here he presents numerous studies, many of which are his own, of the highly-focused optimal mental state when the fiction of "self" is lost to consciousness itself.

FLOW is an example of positive psychology, applied and expressed as what he calls an autotelic virtue--intrinsic motivation. He shares principles derived from the research, along with concrete examples. This is a guide to living a Meaningful life. The data itself is fascinating, and well-stated. For example:

"We do not understand what happiness is any better than Aristotle did, and as for learning how to attain that blessed condition, once could argue that we have made no progress at all." [1]

"What I discovered is that happiness is not something that happens....It is not depend on outside events, but rather, on how we interpret them...People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy." [2] He cites Victor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning", and concurs with the conclusion that happiness is an unintended side-effect of personal dedication to a course "greater than oneself". This work also ties in closely to Process Theology -- the idea that our lives are moving targets.

"Chaos is one of the oldest concepts in myth and religion." [9] "Traditionally, the problem of existence has been most directly confronted through religion...but religions are only temporarily successful attempts to cope with the lack of meaning in life; they are not permanent answers." [14] He reminds us that a "vital new religion may one day arise again", and concludes the work with criteria for one: "The most promising faith for the future might be based on the realization that the entire universe is a system related by common laws and that it makes no sense to impose our dreams and desires on nature without taking them into account. Recognizing the limitations of human will, accepting a cooperative rather than a ruling role in the universe", we could finally journey home, where the "problem of meaning will then be resolved as the individual's purpose merges with the universal flow". [240]

Csikszentmihalyi provides a fascinating account of the process of learning differentiation which produced Science. And he shows that our task is now to learn Interpretation--to reunite without losing uniqueness. [239-40] ( )

Great fundamental premise, but once I got that, it wasn't worth the effort to read the rest of the book. It's VERY dry.

The basic thesis is fine and useful - that is: There exists a zone of optimal learning whereby the learner is operating in a sufficiently complex system relative to his skill level. If the system is too complex for the learner, he will get frustrated and anxious, and if the system is too simply, he will get bored. The theory is interesting and seems consistent with reality. The author shares a number of anecdotes to exemplify his theory.

But when he's not talking about the theory, he's talking about what amounts to secular theology: construct your purpose, etc. He lost me there.

Overall, the science of the book is good, but ignore the rest. ( )

I finally got around to reading this book that has been recommended to me so often. Thanks to a book club at work concerning leadership and self-development.

I can easily see how this book, written in the 1990s, has come to change the world of business and especially any "Experience" field such as CX, UX, etc. Flow is about reaching a super productive and happy mental state, simply called flow. While anyone involved in positive psychology would tell you they have heard it before, no one did when this book was written. This was the spark that ignited a few flames.

The other side of this coin is that there is some doom and gloom moralizing that 90s kids will be all too familiar with. Every single time the author drags out drugs and pre-marital sex being disastrous I just laughed. Wait a few decades, we have some surprises for you.

If you can get past how dated this book is, there's the root of so many ideas that are now current in design, software architecture, management, productivity, etc. It takes a few "Ok Boomer" moments but don't let those distract you from the underlying point.

The underlying argument that flow is achieved between a range of difficulty strikes me as something Western Esotercists and those who study Philosophy and Myth may already be accustomed to. From Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, to the idea of Thumos, and even esoteric implication of Will and the myths of blessings also being a curse, we have the same issue of finding balance.

It's fascinating both how esoteric impulses predate the hottest trends (looking at you _X career professionals), but are still ridiculed. Simply apply a secular paint job and viola! You too can lifehack productivity levels while increasing employee satisfaction and customer engagement! Magical, isn't it? ( )

I'll come out and admit it. It took two tries to finally get into this book, but it was worth the work. Basically, this is the book about how you reach that state known as flow, where you get so enthused about what your doing that time stands still and speeds by. A bit technical and self-referncial, but interesting. ( )

I have long know that the book says that there is an optimal state when the task is challenging, but not too challenging. In that state, it becomes effortless and highly satisfying. This book is really about complexity.

There is a lot more to the book that just defining flow and how to achieve. Flow is concerned with strategies for making life richer, more complex. He states that increasing levels of complexity are necessary for an activity to remain satisfying. He sees similarities between religion, great thinkers, yoga and other activities which create conditions suitable for flow. I enjoyed this book much more than I had imagined I would. I thought I knew what the book was about from the soundbites that I'd heard about it. No, it is a lot more complex than that. It is interesting, fascinating, and delightful.

I don't need to summarize his book or life because others have already created nice summaries.
Wikipedia article on the book: Flow
Wikipedia article on the author ( )

Audiobook of poor quality. Message was easy to grasp, then somewhat repetitive. ( )

A lot more self-help than I expected, and not as much pop-sci as I wanted. Definitely explores some cool ideas and has a few pearls of wisdom that anyone can apply to their life, but almost all of it is anecdote based, and there's a lot of rehashing going on. Easily could have fit in about 120 pages without losing much. ( )

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes in an engaging style. This book mostly focuses on fulfillment and life affirmation but it doesn't really talk about how to achieve this. The book merely talks about the flow states that one can enter in certain situations, and how other people encounter this state.

It goes into Yoga practitioners, Martial Artists, Artists in general, Chess Masters and any other profession that can achieve a flow state.

One thing I didn't realize until I picked this one up is that the book is slightly older than I expected it to be. I didn't know that the first printing was back in 1990. That was during the Elder Bush Administration. Although it was printed back in the early 1990s the only way I could tell is because it referred to old technology like Laser Discs and Walkmans. So all in all, the rest of the information is relatively current and applicable to modern times. ( )

Voici, enfin traduit en français, l'un des grands classiques de la psychologie du XXe siècle, salué comme un ouvrage fondateur dès sa parution aux Etats-Unis. Pour la première fois, grâce à la méthode originale mise au point par Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, la question du bonheur reçoit une réponse factuelle, dépassant les débats philosophiques. Que nous dit-il ? Pour l'essentiel, que les moments de joie et de satisfaction dans notre vie ne sont pas associés à de simples " loisirs ", mais à un certain état psychologique, un sentiment de fluidité mentale et d'intense concentration sur des tâches qui mobilisent toutes nos compétences.
Et il nous explique comment atteindre cette " expérience optimale " et la généraliser. Car " maîtriser son expérience intérieure, c'est devenir capable de choisir la qualité de ce que l'on veut vivre. Si ce n'est pas le bonheur, cela y ressemble ".

Un libro básico en la redefinición de la subjetividad humana. Como dice Richard Flaste del New York Times Magazine «una gran contribución a la educación del público acerca del carácter positivo de los más profundos anhelos humanos». La psicología, la filosofía y el humanismo se unen para responder a la pregunta fundamental: ¿qué es la felicidad? Best-seller mundial.

The book left me mildly disappointed ; probably because I was previously caught up in all the hype about "Flow State of Mind" and how to hack your mind to reach peak performance (Steve Kotler). The crux of the subject is pretty much tackled in the initial chapters ie. conditions needed to reach "flow" state etc . rest of the chapters seem to lack strong content ; Also having extensively read on psychology and psychoanalysis - I do not think "Flow" comes under those disciplines rather sits on the border nevertheless Prof Mihaly is definitely on to something . ( )

I used to shelve this in psychology/self help for years and was always attracted to this man’s long Hungarian name. I finally read it in the summer of 2011. This is a description of mental states achieved when goals are set into place and when one is absorbed and focused in a task or an art work. An essential plan for OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE of life.

Feels largely obvious. Then again, it's 30 years old.

There's some problematic stances that the author takes here and there - though they're not reflective of the research, and rather seem to be personal points of view.

I imagine that as you find things that are applicable to what you're working on, or researching, that the appendix becomes more useful than the book itself. ( )

One of the most renowned researchers on the field of Flow.

Didn't feel enthused to read all the way through. Quit after I got the gist of it.

- Flow state fundamental to peak performance and growing within your skillset.

- Triggered by performing action on edge of ability without distractions.

- Insanely rewarding, makes you feel happy and dims the 'monkey mind'. Another good trigger to silence your subconscious and non-active thinking. ( )

A rather utilitarian approach to Mindfulness, but useful, all the same. ( )

Csikszentmihalyi argues, based on thousands of psychological studies, that the one thing that links all people who consider themselves happy and consider their lives fulfilling is the state of flow: that state where you're working hard on something that is challenging, and you're totally absorbed in it and don't notice the passage of time, and at the end you feel really good for what you have accomplished. The book kind of promises to explain how to achieve this state on purpose, but naturally you aren't going to suddenly unlock the keys to happiness by reading this. ( )

Finished June 29, 2016. By turns insightful genius, and obvious.

I read somewhere that a reviewer thought the book was pretty good but could have just as easily have been done in a long article instead of a full-length book. I tend to agree, although I did not find it too dificult to stick with it all the way through. It is long on examples and not too helpful as a "how-to" guide on acheiving "optimal experience." But, how could it be? Either you enjoy the stuff you do or you don't. Either you are able to make meaning out of the tasks set before you or you are not. I suppose one couldrecognize the beauty of gettiong in "flow" and changing their ways and attitude to acheive it, but that would be a rare person I think. In either case, this book probably wo't convince anyone to change their life who is not already on the road to change. ( )