The Psychology of Optimal Experience01
Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Psychologist
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Psychologist
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934–2021) was a Hungarian-American psychologist. He named and studied “flow”, the deeply focused state in which people feel fully absorbed in what they're doing. He taught at the University of Chicago and Claremont Graduate University.
- Lived
- 1934 – 2021
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- 1 book
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The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Psychology · 1990
Flow
The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Based on years of research into what makes people happy, Csikszentmihalyi describes “flow”: the state of being so absorbed in a challenging activity that time seems to disappear. He shows that we can create more of these moments in work and everyday life.
Three big ideas
- Happiness is something we take part inThe best moments usually come when we're stretching ourselves to do something difficult and worthwhile, not when we're relaxing.
- Match the challenge to your skillFlow happens when a task is hard enough to stretch you but not so hard that it overwhelms you.
- Clear goals and quick feedback helpKnowing what you're aiming for, and seeing how you're doing, makes it easier to become absorbed.
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