Flow (1990) | Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

It is surprising that this was originally published in 1990. I had to double check the dates in the opening pages because the concept of Flow is still discussed actively today; often quoted in other psychology books, one example is in Grit by Angela Duckworth. It also pops up in other mediums like podcasts, topics for life coaches/gurus, and in self-help and personal development book shelves.


The TL;DR version is.. It is essentially about happiness. The argument being that if we want to maximize happiness, we should maximize Flow experiences. 



Now what is Flow? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines it as:

“Flow is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
He then explains through the lens of how it manifests through the body, the senses, the mind, through work and life, through struggles and the meaning that can be derived from them.


It begins with Consciousness, defined as intentionally ordered information. The author writes:

“The control of consciousness determines the quality of life.”
And yet our brain has a limit to what it can attend to. This is where Attention comes in. A bit woo woo; he writes Attention as Psychic Energy.
“Attention is the process that selects relevant bits of information from the potential millions of bits available.”
As Apollo Robbins calls it, What we attend to, becomes our reality. Some millennials may call it to be “woke.” It may just be awareness or mindfulness. This distinction is not tackled as much in the book. Back to flow.


So why Flow?



The claim is that the Self gains complexity through Flow.



Other psychologists may argue, it’s not really the Flow experience itself but the hours and effort expended that complexes the Self. (for this, i guess they can debate about it, until it settles to a conclusion.) My personal conclusion is that you learn from it and you strive to be in that optimal performance. The same way an athlete tests the limits of the human body.



How do you induce Flow? Csikszentmihalyi says there are 2 conditions.

  1. Structure of Activity (External)
  2. Individual's ability to restructure consciousness (Internal)
Structure refers to the context of the actual activity; one which is ideally at the middle of boredom and anxiety. It should just be challenging enough for the participant; not too easy, and not too taxing. The internal factor relates to the person's self, his traits, his nature etc.


In relation to the structure, Csikszentmihalyi writes Eight Elements of Enjoyment:

  1. Tasks we have a chance of completing
  2. Must be able to concentrate on
  3. Has clear goals
  4. Provides immediate feedback
  5. Deep effortless involvement that removes worries and frustrations from awareness
  6. A sense of control over actions
  7. Self disappears
  8. Sense of duration of time is altered
Other times, you have no choice but to exercise your control of consciousness. Especially in extremes situations, when all you're left is your internal resources, similar to the writings of Viktor Frankl’s Man's Search for Meaning.


How to Transform Hopeless Situations into Flow Activities


1. Nurture an Unselfconscious Self Assurance - This is when a person no longer sees himself in opposition to the environment. He feels a part of whatever goes on around him, and tries to do his best within the system in which he must operate.
2. Focus attention on the world - Suspend your ego. Paradoxically, this relates to letting go of your internal chatter: "i am worried, this should not be happening"
3. Discovery of New Solutions - Instead of trying to block the obstacle, the idea is to see the environment and respond in relation to it
Richard Logan did studies on this specific topic and he found:
The most important trait of survivors is a "nonself-conscious individualism," or a strongly directed purpose that is not self seeking.
People who have that quality are bent on doing their best in all circumstances, yet they are not concerned primarily with advancing their own interests. Because they are intrinsically motivated in their actions, they are not easily disturbed by external threats.
Relating the Self, a good foundation stems in the belief that intelligence can be developed and trained famously from the studies of Carol Dweck with Growth Mindset. Csikszentmihalyi writes steps on how to develop an Autotelic Self.
  1. Set goals; break down into systems of action
  2. Immerse in the activity
  3. Pay attention to what is happening; suspend ego
  4. Enjoy immediate experience; pay attention to the present
Bringing it all together or down deeper into layers of human motivation, the argument is how to live in Flow. The response: A Unified Flow Experience, Purpose, Resolution and Harmony
  • Purpose - a  goal that is challenging enough to take up all their energies, a goal that can give significance to their lives.
  • Resolution - the result in strivings, intent that has to be translated into action
  • Harmony - when a goal is pursued with resolution, and fits together into a unified flow experience
Csikszentmihalyi prefaces purpose and resolutions:
Goals in itself are usually not important, what matters is that it focuses a person's attention and involves it in an achievable, enjoyable activity.
Effort over Intention
What counts is not so much whether a person actually achieves what she has set out to do; rather, it matters whether effort has been expanded to reach the goal, instead of being diffused or wasted.

This last part is similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, Csikszentmihalyi calls it a Model of Emergence of Meaning
  1. Focusing attention on the self
  2. On the Community
  3. Discerning the limits of personal potential
  4. A cause, an idea, a transcendental entity - as system larger than the person
That's it.


This is me being a nerd now, I liked this part about music and learning. because I've never heard music and learning defined in this way.

Music is organized auditory information. it is not hearing that improves life, it is the listening.
The important thing to recognize here is that you should not feel that you have to absorb a string of facts, that there is a right list you must memorize. If you decide what you would like to have in memory, the information will be under your control, and the whole process of learning by heart will become a pleasant task, instead of a chore imposed from outside.
 Have a great day ahead!


Other Psychology books you may find interesting:




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