Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Psychology professor, formerly head of the department at the University of Chicago, is noted for his work in the study of happiness, creativity, subjective well-being, and fun, but is best known for his having been the architect of the notion of flow and for his years of research and writing on the topic. He is the author of many books and over 120 articles or book chapters. He is one of the most widely cited psychologists today, in a variety of fields related to psychology and business. Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of the mind and behavior, both human and (less frequently) nonhuman. ... The University of Chicago is an elite and prestigious private university principally located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1890 and opened in 1892. ... Happiness is a prolonged or lasting emotional or affective state that feels good or pleasing. ... This articles neutrality is compromised by weasel words. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. ... A psychologist is a researcher and/or a practitioner of psychology. ...

Flow

In his seminal work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Csikszentmihalyi outlines his theory that people are most happy when they are in a state of flow--a Zen-like state of total oneness with the activity at hand and the situation (see Flow (psychology)). The idea of flow is identical to the feeling of being in the zone or in the groove. The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. This is a feeling everyone has at times, characterized by a feeling of great freedom, enjoyment, fulfillment, and skill--and during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored. Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... With flow the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi names the feeling of complete and energized focus in an activity, with a high level of enjoyment and fulfillment. ... Intrinsic motivation, defined by default, is evident when people engage in an activity for its own sake, without some obvious external incentive (extrinsic motivation) present. ...

In an interview with Wired magazine, Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-sent-me-high-ee)... described flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." Wired is a full-color monthly magazine and on-line periodical published in San Francisco, California since March 1993. ...

To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur.

Also, the flow state also implies a kind of focused attention, and indeed, it has been noted that mindfulness meditation, yoga, and martial arts seem to improve a person's capacity for flow. Among other benefits, all of these activities train and improve attention. Mindfulness is the practice whereby a person is intentionally aware of his or her thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

In short; flow could be described as a state where attention, motivation, and the situation meet, resulting in a kind of productive harmony or feedback.

See also

• Flow (psychology)
• Creativity
• Motivation
• Attention
• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

With flow the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi names the feeling of complete and energized focus in an activity, with a high level of enjoyment and fulfillment. ... This articles neutrality is compromised by weasel words. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Look up Attention in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one thing while ignoring other things. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of the mind and behavior, both human and (less frequently) nonhuman. ... Rendering of human brain based on MRI data Cognitive science is usually defined as the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence (e. ...

References

• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper and Row. ISBN 0060920432
• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1996). Creativity : Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: Harper Perennial. ISBN 0060928204
• Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1998). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life. Basic Books. ISBN 0465024114 (a popular exposition emphasizing technique)
• Gardner, Howard, Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, and Damon, William (2002). Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet. New York, Basic Books.
• Geirland, John (1996). Go With The Flow. Wired magazine, September, Issue 4.09.

Howard Gardner (born 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) is a cognitive and educational psychologist based at Harvard University best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. ... William Damon is an author of educational materials. ...

External links

• Faculty page at Claremont Graduate School of Management
• Brain Channels Thinker of the Year - 2000