Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience [Paperback]

Besides having more vowels in his name than any other researcher in the field of positive psychology, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi is probably best known for his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. So what exactlty is flow and what does it have to do with finding happiness?

There are short and long ways to define the concept of flow. The short way is to tell you that flow is roughly the equivalent to what most people refer to as being "in the zone" or "in the groove". More elaborate definitions might be that it 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 do it even at great cost, for the sheer state of doing it."

Being such a desirable state, flow is naturally linked to happiness. The book feels that the path to happiness is a circuitous one that begins with one achieving control over the "contents of our consciousness". I'm taking that to mean that if I learn to find flow experiences, it will lead to greater happiness.

Know from the get-go that "Flow" is NOT a step-by-step book that gives you tips on how to be happy. Instead, the book summarizes years of research, so what you get when all is said and done, are general principles along with examples of how people have used them to transform their lives. The hope, then, is that you will have enough information in the book to make the transition from principles and theory, to actual practice.

In a nutshell, Flow is a unique and interesting book that examines the process of achieving happiness through the control of one's inner life. I didn't find it as easy to read as some books written by academic individuals, such as David Myer's The Pursuit of Happiness: Discovering the Pathway to Fulfillment, Well-Being, and Enduring Personal Joy, but it's definitely a "digestable" read for the general audience.

I'll tell you, though, after reading a lot of positive psychology books, you start to see some common threads. In "Flow", one of the conditions that makes flow occur is that you have a clear goal. And in the book Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World, it reveals that one proven way to increase long-term happiness (according to controlled trials cited in the book) is to set intrinsic/self-concordant goals. With much happiness research coming to similar conclusions, perhaps an important take-home message is this: the kinds of things we choose to spend our time on can have a HUGE impact on how happy we are. Happy trails!

I know that I am not able to put into words how great a book Flow is. A friend suggested it as good reading so I ordered a copy from amazon. Well I wasn't long placing another order for 3 more.(By the way I ordered the 3 books on Sunday evening and they were in my mail box here in Halifax on Wednesday morning) Since then 4 of us meet each Tuesday for 2 hours and have a great time sharing our thoughts on many of the interesting, down to earth subjects, in this book. There are so many points made about optimal experiences which I can relate to, such as the example given when one learns a piece of music, it gives you the feeling that you are flowing. I started learning to play the piano 14 months ago and I often experience the flow experience.I did no think it would be possible to have that feeling at 79 years of age.
There's still life in the old fellow yet. Thanks to amazon and Flow.
Paul Levangie Halifax Nova Scotia Canada

I liked Flow being on audio cd because then I can also be in flow while I listen to it. Instead of being stuck holding a book in my hands.
Mihaly tells some entertaining stories and knows what he is talking about, I also like that it is him speaking.