The Psychology Behind the Flow State of Mind

The Psychology Behind the Flow State of Mind Happiness Print Flow Can Help You Achieve Goals Understanding the Psychology of Flow By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on January 14, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on August 08, 2019 Tom Merton /Getty Images More in Self-Improvement Happiness Meditation Stress Management Spirituality Holistic Health Inspiration Brain Health Technology Relationships View All If you ever felt completely immersed in an activity, you might have been experiencing a mental state that psychologists refer to as flow. What exactly is flow? Imagine for a moment that you are running a race. Your attention is focused on the movements of your body, the power of your muscles, the force of your lungs, and the feel of the street beneath your feet. You are living in the moment, utterly absorbed in the present activity. Time seems to fall away. You are tired, but you barely notice. According to positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, what you are experiencing in that moment is known as flow, a state of complete immersion in an activity. He describes the mental state of 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 youre using your skills to the utmost. Flow experiences can occur in different ways for different people. Some might experience flow while engaging in a sport such as skiing, tennis, soccer, dancing, or running. Others might have such an experience while engaged in an activity such as painting, drawing, or writing. These moments of flow often occur when you are engaged in an activity that you enjoy and in which you are quite skilled. How Does It Feel to Experience Flow? According to Csíkszentmihályi, there are ten factors that accompany the experience of flow. While many of these components may be present, it is not necessary to experience all of them for flow to occur: Clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainableStrong concentration and focused attentionThe activity is intrinsically rewardingFeelings of serenity; a loss of feelings of self-consciousnessTimelessness; a distorted sense of time; feeling so focused on the present that you lose track of time passingImmediate feedbackKnowing that the task is doable; a balance between skill level and the challenge presentedFeelings of personal control over the situation and the outcomeLack of awareness of physical needsComplete focus on the activity itself How to Achieve Flow So what can you do to increase your chances of achieving flow? In his book, Csíkszentmihályi explains that flow is likely to occur when an individual is faced with a task that has clear goals that require specific responses. A game of chess is a good example of when a flow state might occur. For the duration of a competition, the player has very specific goals and responses, allowing attention to be focused entirely on the game during the period of play. If you are trying to achieve a state of flow, it can help if: You have a specific goal and plan of actionIt is an activity that you enjoy or are passionate aboutThere is an element of challengeYou are able to stretch your current skill level Flow also happens when a persons skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenges, Csíkszentmihályi explains. If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills. Applications and Examples of Flow While flow experiences can happen as part of everyday life, there are also important practical applications in various areas including education, sports, and the workplace. Examples of Flow in Education: Csíkszentmihályi has suggested that overlearning a skill or concept can help people experience flow. Another critical concept in his theory is the idea of slightly extending oneself beyond ones current ability level. This slight stretching of ones current skills can help the individual experience flow.Examples of Flow in Sports: Just like in educational settings, engaging in a challenging athletic activity that is doable but presents a slight stretching of ones abilities is a good way to achieve flow. Sometimes described by being in the zone, reaching this state of flow allows an athlete to experience a loss of self-consciousness and a sense of complete mastery of the performance.Examples of Flow in the Workplace: Flow can also occur when workers are engaged in tasks where they are able to focus entirely on the project at hand. For example, a writer might experience this while working on a novel or a graphic designer might achieve flow while working o n a website illustration. The Benefits of Flow In addition to making activities more enjoyable, flow also has a number of other advantages. Flow can lead to improved performance. Researchers have found that flow can enhance performance in a wide variety of areas including teaching, learning, athletics, and artistic creativity.Flow can also lead to further learning and skill development. Because the act of achieving flow indicates a substantial mastery of a certain skill, the individual must continually seek new challenges and information in order to maintain this state. A Word From Verywell Achieving a state of flow can be a great way to make the activities you pursue more engaging and enjoyable. Not only do people often perform better when they are in this state of flow, they are often able to improve their skills in that area.