What Flow Actually Is
Module 5 of 8, about 55 minutes. Complete absorption, and why it's available to everyone.
The question: What does complete absorption feel like?
What you'll learn
- Define flow as a specific psychological state with identifiable characteristics, not a vague feeling
- Identify and explain the nine dimensions of flow as described by Csikszentmihalyi's research, and recognise them in your own experience
- Understand the challenge-skill balance and how it determines whether you experience boredom, anxiety, or flow
- Describe what researchers propose happens in the brain during flow, including the transient hypofrontality hypothesis
- Recognise flow in everyday activities, not just traditionally "creative" or athletic pursuits
- Distinguish between the research-based understanding of flow and the commercialised productivity version
- Connect the flow state to procrastination, as opposite ends of the engagement spectrum
- Begin mapping your own flow history as preparation for Module 6
What it covers
- The State Without a Name
- The Challenge-Skill Sweet Spot
- What's Happening in Your Brain
- Flow Is Not What Instagram Thinks It Is
- From Drift to Flow, The Bridge
Practise it
Flow Memory Map: Recall three flow experiences and see what they have in common.