The Experience of Flow: Theory and Research

Author(s):  
Jeanne Nakamura ◽  
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

This chapter describes flow, the experience of complete absorption in the present moment, and the experiential approach to positive psychology that it represents. Flow theory and research have suggested one answer to the question of what constitutes a good life. The model of optimal experience and development that is associated with the concept of flow is summarized, and the chapter describes several ways of measuring flow, giving particular attention to the experience sampling method. Some recent research concerning the outcomes and dynamics of flow, its conditions at school and work, and interventions that have been employed to foster flow are reviewed. Finally, some of the promising directions for flow research moving into the future are identified.

Author(s):  
Jeanne Nakamura ◽  
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

This chapter describes flow, the experience of complete absorption in the present moment, and the experiential approach to positive psychology that it represents. We summarize the model of optimal experience and development that is associated with the concept of flow, and describe several ways of measuring flow, giving particular attention to the experience sampling method. We review some of the recent research concerning the outcomes and dynamics of flow, its conditions at school and work, and interventions that have been employed to foster flow. Finally, we identify some of the promising directions for flow research moving into the future.


Author(s):  
Louise Douse

This chapter is centred on research on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow, which explores optimal experience from the context of positive psychology. It develops a theory of flow in dance improvisation which draws on the eudaimonic concept of wellbeing. Links are made between flow and the defining characteristics of eudaimonia such as personal expressiveness, self-realization, excellence, and relatedness. The chapter draws on case-study research which proposes a methodology that allows the researcher/spectator to engage with the dancer’s experience of flow. The research employs ‘reflexive embodied empathy’, involving hermeneutic reflection for understanding both the participant’s experience and the researcher’s role in constructing that interpretation. The chapter argues that flow enables the researcher/spectator to connect with the experience of the dancer, informing both their understanding of the dancer’s wellbeing and their own wellbeing in the moment of observation. Flow thus offers a perspective of wellbeing that enhances the spectator–dancer relationship.


2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 912-927
Author(s):  
Diana Olcar ◽  
Tajana Ljubin Golub ◽  
Majda Rijavec

Flow experience is related to well-being. Still, the question arises as to whether the flow is beneficial because of its intensity and frequency, or its contribution to well-being depends on the domain in which it is experienced. It was hypothesized that flow experienced in a domain that is perceived important and useful (i.e., the academic domain) contributes more to students’ well-being than flow experienced in domains that are perceived as less important and less useful (leisure and routine activities) even though it is in academic domain experienced less often and less intensely. This hypothesis was tested in two separate studies. In the first study, the flow was operationalized as a trait and the frequency of flow was measured via questionnaires. In the second study, the flow was operationalized as a state and the intensity of flow was measured via the experience sampling method. The samples were comprised of university students from Zagreb, Croatia. Both studies showed that flow in a domain that is perceived as more important and useful (i.e., the academic domain), although is experienced less often and less strongly, is more related to students’ well-being than flow in domains perceived by students as less important and less useful (leisure and routine activities). It was also tested if the association between academic flow and well-being is mediated by academic achievement. This hypothesis was not accepted. The results of this study indicate that it is important for students to have opportunities to experience flow in their studies because it is a pleasant state, related to better achievement, and it adds to their overall well-being. Keywords: flow experience, sampling method, flourishing, flow in learning, life satisfaction, optimal experience


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aire Mill ◽  
Anu Realo ◽  
Jüri Allik

Abstract. Intraindividual variability, along with the more frequently studied between-person variability, has been argued to be one of the basic building blocks of emotional experience. The aim of the current study is to examine whether intraindividual variability in affect predicts tiredness in daily life. Intraindividual variability in affect was studied with the experience sampling method in a group of 110 participants (aged between 19 and 84 years) during 14 consecutive days on seven randomly determined occasions per day. The results suggest that affect variability is a stable construct over time and situations. Our findings also demonstrate that intraindividual variability in affect has a unique role in predicting increased levels of tiredness at the momentary level as well at the level of individuals.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Preziosa ◽  
Marta Bassi ◽  
Daniela Villani ◽  
Andrea Gaggioli ◽  
Giuseppe Riva

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazianne-Geneve V. Mendoza ◽  
Christie Sio

Filipino:Sa loob ng mahabang panahon, ang mga metodong pampananaliksik na ginagamit sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP) ay hango sa pang-araw-araw na pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga Pilipino. Ngunit makalipas ang higit 40 taon simula nang unang itatag ang SP, malaki na ang pinagbago ng pakikipag-ugnayan at pakikitungo ng mga Pilipino sa isa’t isa dahil sa modernisasyon at pag-unlad ng teknolohiya. Gayundin, dumarami na rin ang mga iskolar ng SP na kumikilala sa kahalagahan ng pagsasakatutubo-mula-sa-labas upang higit pang mapayaman ang disiplina. Kabilang dito ang pag-aangkop ng mga lapit at metodong pampananaliksik. Bilang tugon sa mga pagbabagong ito, tinatampok sa kasalukuyang pag-aaral ang experience sampling method (ESM), isang metodong malaki ang potensiyal ngunit hindi pa nagagamit sa kontekstong Pilipino. Kumpara sa mga tradisyunal na metodo, may kakayahan ang ESM na suriin at pag-aralan ang karanasan ng tao, kabilang na ang kaniyang damdamin, saloobin, at kilos, habang nangyayari ito mismo sa kasalukuyan. Upang higit na mailapit ito sa araw-araw na buhay at gawi ng mga kalahok, marami nang mga smartphone applications o apps na magagamit sa pagsasagawa ng ESM. Sa papel na ito, tinasa ang kaangkupan ng ESM bilang metodong pampananaliksik sa SP sa pamamagitan ng paggamit nito sa pag-aaral ng mga emosyonal na karanasan ng mga Pilipinong kalahok. Batay sa mga obserbasyong nakalap mula sa pag-aaral, masasabing mayroong natatanging kontribusyon ang ESM sa pag-unlad ng SP dahil tugma ito sa layunin ng disiplina at malapit ito sa araw-araw na pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino sa makabagong panahon. Iminumungkahi ang paggamit ng ESM katuwang ng iba pang metodong kasalukuyang tinatanggap sa SP upang higit na mapalalim ang pag-unawa sa karanasang Pilipino.English:For the longest time, the research methods used in Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP) are those derived from the day-to-day manner of communication among Filipinos. However, more than 40 years since SP was first established, modernity and rapid advancements in technology have greatly changed the way Filipinos interact and communicate with each other. At the same time, scholars have increasingly recognized the importance of indigenization-from-without to further enrich the study of SP, including the adoption of non-indigenous approaches to research. In response to these changes, the current study features the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), which, though currently underutilized in the Filipino context, has great potential in the study of it. Compared to traditional research methods, ESM allows researchers to study people’s experiences, including their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, as they occur in the present. Furthermore, ESM smartphone applications or apps have been created to facilitate the use of ESM in obtaining a more representative sample of the everyday lives of participants. This paper aims to evaluate the appropriateness of ESM as a research method to be used in the study of SP. To do so, ESM was used to study the emotional experiences of Filipino participants. The observations derived from the study lend support to the unique contribution of ESM to the advancement of SP because it coincides with the goals of the discipline and simulates the day-to-day lives of Filipinos in the modern age. As such, ESM is recommended to be used with other methods currently used in SP to further deepen our understanding of the lives of Filipinos.


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