When Michael Jordan is “in the zone” and making that behind-the-back pass, he is not consciously thinking “how can I pass the ball,” and if he did, he would interrupt his flow-like state and probably throw the ball into the stands. Rather, the essence of flow is the removal of the interference of the thinking mind. His studies and subsequent findings gained still more popular interest and he is today considered one of the founding figures of positive psychology.Īs the above qualities indicate, the flow-like state is not primarily characterized by subjective feelings, even positive ones. This and other studies helped shape his seminal work on flow. Most of the entries indicated that the teens were unhappy, but Csikszentmihalyi found that when their energies were focused on a challenging task, they tended to be more upbeat. They were asked to record their thoughts and feelings at the time of the beeps. A group of teenagers were given beepers that went off during random times throughout the day. Beeper Study) was a particularly inventive way to make happiness a measurable phenomenon. His now-famous Experience Sampling Study (a.k.a.

He set his life’s work to scientifically identify the different elements involved in achieving such a state. He noted that the act of creating seemed at times more important than the finished work itself and he was fascinated by what he called the “flow” state, in which the person is completely immersed in an activity with intense focus and creative engagement.

As an artist who had dabbled in painting himself, Csikszentmihalyi started his initial observations and studies on artists and creative types. As a fairly new discipline, there were few options in Europe for further study and so he traveled to the United States. Omni, 73-90.).ĭuring a trip to Switzerland, Csikszentmihalyi heard Carl Jung speak and this sparked an interest in psychology.

For hours I’d just focus within a reality that had clear rules and goals” (Sobel, D. In an interview, he noted, “I discovered chess was a miraculous way of entering into a different world where all those things didn’t matter. It was here, amid the misery and loss of family and friends during the war, that he had his first inkling of his seminal work in the area of flow and optimal experience.

During his childhood, he was put in an Italian prison. He was born in Hungary in 1934 and, like many of his contemporaries, he was touched by the Second World War in ways that deeply affected his life and later work. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is one of the pioneers of the scientific study of happiness. Make a Difference: Change the World, Change Yourself.High School Happiness and Wellbeing Curriculum.Annotated Bibliography – Mindfulness & Positive Thinking.Review of Key Studies on Mindfulness & Positive Thinking.The Philosophy & Science of Mindfulness.

Csikszentmihalyi flow