Flow
“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 you're using your
skills to the utmost.”
(Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
Flow - defined
• an optimal psychological state
(Csikszentmihalyi)
• a state of total focus on the task at
hand; being in the present moment
• associated with positive
experiences and performance
outcomes
The Psychology of Flow
Zen Buddhism
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry
wood. After enlightenment, chop wood,
carry wood.
If you walk, just walk. If you sit, just sit;
but whatever you do, don’t wobble.
When hungry, eat your rice; when tired,
close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me,
but wise men will know what I mean.
Components of Flow
1. Challenge-Skill Balance.
A balance between the demands of the situation and personal skills.
2. Action-Awareness Merging.
Deep involvement that makes actions seem automatic.
3. Clear Goals.
Certainty about what one is going to do.
4. Unambiguous Feedback.
Immediate and clear feedback that reaffirms actions.
5. Concentration on Task at Hand.
Feeling focused.
6. Sense of Control.
Happens without conscious effort.
7. Loss of Self-Consciousness.
Concern for self disappears as person becomes one with activity.
8. Transformation of Time.
Time passes faster, slower, or there is unawareness of time.
9. Autotelic Experience.
Feeling of doing something for its own sake, with no expectation of
future reward.
“Flow is quite
simply when
you’ve managed to
totally get out of
your own way.”
Flow
Consider the following questions:
• List your most common activities. Plot
them on the flow state graph (see slide
3).
• When are you in a state of flow? Can
you think of any activities during which
time disappears, you are completed
absorbed into what you are doing?
A mindset that facilitates
flow
• Identify what is important – clear
unambiguous goals
• Move in the direction of what is
important, taking into account feedback
along the way
• Embrace challenge
• Stay in the present moment
Computer game design &
flow
A challenging computer
game can make us feel
overwhelmed, and more
likely to give up. Similarly, a
computer game that is too
easy can induce boredom. To
trigger flow, a good computer
game should be halfway
between these two extremes.
• Levels
• Points
• Time limit
• Prizes