Several respondents described a “current” (or flow) that carried them along effortlessly during the activity. Their study reported that participants shared a similar subjective experience they enjoyed so much that they were willing to go to great lengths to experience it again (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2005). In 2005, Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi interviewed rock climbers, chess players, athletes, and artists to investigate why people choose to perform time-consuming challenging tasks that offer no extrinsic rewards. Any activity that requires high motivation and concentration to enhance enjoyment can facilitate the subjective experience of flow (Bonaiuto et al., 2016). Both boredom and anxiety are barriers to flow. If the task is too easy, apathy and boredom can set in, but if the task is too difficult, anxiety can arise. The flow state is achieved when a person’s capacities are challenged by trying to meet a cherished goal. Mindfulness, on the other hand, does not require focused engagement in an activity. However, the defining feature of a flow state of mind is intense experiential involvement in an activity that requires personal effort and skill (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). It has similarities with mindfulness because it requires focus in the present moment.
The vast amount of research built on his work has explored how the brain changes when entering a flow state in a way that minimizes distraction, maximizes productivity and performance, and eliminates procrastination.Ī flow state of mind spontaneously arises when we become immersed in an activity so completely that we lose track of time. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was one of the founding fathers of the positive psychology movement and popularized the concept of the flow state (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988).
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