CogKnoSys

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.

Mental

Flow State

Flow is the state of being fully absorbed in an activity, with energized focus and enjoyment, often called being in the zone.

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The idea

Many people know the feeling of being so wrapped up in drawing, playing music or a sport that time seems to disappear. Psychologists call that experience flow, and people often describe it as being in the zone. In flow, a person is fully involved in what they are doing and feels focused, energized and happy in the activity itself. Their sense of time is often transformed, so an entire afternoon can feel like a few minutes.

Flow usually happens when the difficulty of a task is balanced with a person's skill. If the task is far too hard, people feel overwhelmed, and if it is far too easy, they get bored. Flow needs a high level of concentration, and it is most likely at a medium level of mental alertness. Because flow is an individual experience, each person has a personal zone where they function best.

Flow can also help people cope with stress and anxiety when they spend free time on an activity that fits their skills. It looks a lot like hyperfocus, but hyperfocus is not always healthy. For example, someone might spend too much time on video games or get stuck on one small part of a big project.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

When is a person most likely to reach flow?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Challenge-skill balance — A task that is hard enough to be interesting but not so hard that it overwhelms.
  • Deep concentration — Full attention on the activity, which flow requires.
  • Merging of action and awareness — Doing and noticing blend together, so the person is absorbed in the task.
  • Altered sense of time — Time seems to speed up or slow down while absorbed.
  • Enjoyment — The activity feels rewarding in itself.

Connection

how it relates

Under Human Consciousness

Cause and effect

  1. Fear and Anxietystrength 60 of 100

    Flow in a well-matched hobby can work as a way of coping with stress and anxiety.

Felt

  1. Happiness and Joystrength 60 of 100

    Flow brings a feeling of enjoyment in the activity itself.

Related

  1. Creative Expressionstrength 50 of 100

    Artists, musicians and writers often describe losing themselves in flow while they create.

  2. Meditationstrength 40 of 100

    Both flow and meditation involve steady, focused attention, though flow comes while doing an active task.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
The idea was first presented in the 1975 book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The name came from his 1975 interviews, in which several people compared the experience to a water current carrying them along.
Now
Today the concept is used across many fields and is especially well known in occupational therapy.
Next
Schools, workplaces and game designers may keep looking for ways to match challenges to skills so more people can reach flow, though flow will remain a personal experience.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Flow State

Flow is the state of being fully absorbed in an activity, with energized focus and enjoyment, often called being in the zone.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Many people know the feeling of being so wrapped up in drawing, playing music or a sport that time seems to disappear. Psychologists call that experience flow, and people often describe it as being in the zone. In flow, a person is fully involved in what they are doing and feels focused, energized and happy in the activity itself. Their sense of time is often transformed, so an entire afternoon can feel like a few minutes.

Flow usually happens when the difficulty of a task is balanced with a person's skill. If the task is far too hard, people feel overwhelmed, and if it is far too easy, they get bored. Flow needs a high level of concentration, and it is most likely at a medium level of mental alertness. Because flow is an individual experience, each person has a personal zone where they function best.

Flow can also help people cope with stress and anxiety when they spend free time on an activity that fits their skills. It looks a lot like hyperfocus, but hyperfocus is not always healthy. For example, someone might spend too much time on video games or get stuck on one small part of a big project.

Check yourself

3 quick questions, instant feedback.