Up: [[Experiencing Time]] Created: 2023-06-16 Updated: 2025-01-09 Psychologist [[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi]] developed the concept of flow by studying people who were doing things for enjoyment rather than for rewards of money or fame. He found that respondents described the quality of their experiences in similar terms, regardless of their culture, gender, socioeconomic background, age, or the nature of the activity in which they were engaged. After years of interviewing almost 10,000 people in all walks of life, Csikszentmihalyi found that there are eight salient characteristics to a flow experience. 1. **The goals are clear.** Csikszentmihalyi is talking about step-by-step goals, not just the final outcome. Paying too much attention to the outcome will prevent the flow experience and interfere with performance. 2. **Feedback is immediate.** Feedback may be provided by peers or supervisors, but ideally, it comes from the activity itself. 3. **There is a balance between opportunity and capacity.** When a challenge is too far beyond our capacity, we feel anxious; when our skills exceed the challenge, we are bored. Csikszentmihalyi argues that flow is the ideal state for learning because *skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable* (1997, p. 30). This echoes Lev Vygotsky’s view (1978) that learning takes place in the zone of proximal development, where work is just a bit tougher than students can handle on their own. 4. **Concentration deepens.** When in flow, *the distinction between self and activity disappears* (2003, p. 47). There are no distractions, not even the awareness of being in flow. Indeed, if someone gained that awareness, it would destroy the flow. 5. **The present is what matters.** Concentration on the task at hand excludes any thoughts of the past or of anything further ahead than the most immediate future. 6. **Control is no problem.** When in flow, we experience a sense that we can control our performance because we have the skills necessary to meet the challenge. This sense does not extend to a belief in the ability to control other people or even totally control the outcome. Rather, we experience a calm confidence that we have what it takes to handle the situation. 7. **The sense of time is altered.** Focused attention means that time may seem to speed up, slow down, or stand still. The way in which the sense of time is altered depends on the needs of the activity. 8. **There is a loss of ego.** When we are at one with an activity, thoughts of how we present ourselves to the rest of the world disappear. After a flow experience, the sense of self returns and self-esteem soars. The arts and sports provide what Csikszentmihalyi describes as *almost pure examples of flow, uncontaminated by other motives* (2003, p. 58). However, Csikszentmihalyi’s research shows that any experience can become a flow experience. In a study of 75 adolescents, Csikszentmihalyi and Larson (1984) found that students sometimes experience flow when learning, though the experience more frequently occurs during active involvement in a favourite activity, such as sport. In contrast, people rarely experience flow when engaged in passive activities such as watching television or relaxing. > [!User] Karen Hume, *Tuned Out: Engaging the 21st Century Learner*, pp. 197-198 > > Csikszentmihalyi quotes are from *Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life* (1997) and *Good business: Leadership, flow, and the making of meaning* (2003) >