Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience

"A good self help book that will help the reader to understand and order consciousness. The reader is taught how to cope with everday challenges and chaos. The book explains that we must not be sad, angry, worried, ect., despite events that occur outside of our control. Rather, we can learn to accept unwanted events and choose to feel happy, productive, or calm despite those obstacles.

And I think the author would agree that, it is illogical to believe that sadness, anger, worry, fear, loneliness and many other emotions MUST be disordered and avoided. Suffering is part of life and cannot/should not be avoided. An emotion need not be wrong or eliminated from consciousness simply because it is unwanted.

Certain injustices that occur in this world cause many of us to experience a lifetime of deep sadness and suffering. And despite the ability we may have to be productive and happy by means of flow experiences, we must understand that unwanted emotions are healthy and very normal. Unwanted emotions such as anger and sadness help us to realize injustice. If we did not experience anger/sadness in the face of injustice, we would cease being human.

"
~ Written on 2008-11-29

"One of my very favorite books.

Written for a popular audience, the author describes the fascinating results of his academic career of researching exactly what makes people happy.

His findings are surprising. Most people don't know what makes them happy. For example, most people don't realize that they are happiest at work or why; they believe they would be happier with more leisure time. I found most facsinating the studies of people who had lost limbs. The book explains why, although parapalegics would rather still have their limbs, for many, the loss of their limbs actually made them happier.

The ideas presented explain why so many people are unhappy when enjoying historically unprecedented levels of physical comfort. The book is also uplifting in that it points out that we truly can be happy in any situation.

Although the book does ramble at times, this is one of the best books I have ever read. I am more than willing to put up with less than perfect writing to gain the remarkable insights that are clearly laid out in the book. Not surprisingly, the book does not provide a recipe to make you happy. But it does provide general concepts that can be applied to your particular situation and preferences."
~ Written on 2008-11-11

"I first discovered the concept of flow several years ago when
I was working at home on a grievance matter that I was
handling for my teacher's union . . . all of a sudden, I was
interrupted by a call from my massage therapist . . . she
was asking why I wasn't in her office for my appointment.

Now massages are one of the things I REALLY look forward
to . . . yet I had been so "into" what I was doing that the
appointment completely skipped my mind.

Sometime thereafter, I became acquainted with the work
of esteemed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his
work on this subject . . . so when I just got the chance to hear
FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE--written
by and featuring the author--I jumped at the opportunity to learn
even more.

And learn I did in this fascinating book . . . most of all, I became
acquainted with the following major components of the flow experience:

* There's clarity of goals.

* Feedback is immediate. You know moment-by-moment how well
you're doing.

* The challenges of the activity are matched with the skills of the person.

* There's a feeling of focus on what you're doing.

* Everyday frustrations are removed from your attention.

* You feel that you can be control of your life.

* You also lose a sense of self-consciousness.

* And as I previously observed, a sense of time is transformed.

"
~ Written on 2008-10-23

"Interesting book, explains how and why you are the way you act! Difficult to understand some times."
~ Written on 2008-05-20

"I stumbled upon Flow and was pleasantly surprised. The book, based on extensive research into the nature of happiness and man's most fulfilling moments, promises to provide steps towards enhancing the quality of life. With many examples and concrete suggestions, I found that it delivered to an impressive degree.

From the appreciation of art and science, the deepening of friendships and romance, the establishment of a long-term life goal, and the continuous challenge of one's intellect - I found almost all of the book's suggestions to be based on sound reasoning.

The single most important factor in achieving happiness in life is, according to Csikszentmihalyi, actively taking charge of one's attention and creating order in the conscious mind. Csikszentmihalyi recommends a life of continuous challenge, learning, and focus; and provides many useful guidelines for doing so successfully. The reward? Enjoying the "flow" experience often, which he describes as: "...a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity. People typically feel strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities. Both the sense of time and emotional problems seem to disappear, and there is an exhilarating sense of transcendence."

While some of the above may seem self-evident, I found many principles in the book to be accurate and non-trivial. Especially in its description of the conditions for "optimal experience," including clear goals and rules that provide constant feedback, matching the levels of skill and challenge, unselfconscious absorption, and the expenditure of mental effort as a prerequisite for enjoyment. Perhaps even more useful was a review of common reasons why most people don't experience "flow," or enjoyment, very often.

Despite some disagreements I have, such as with mechanistic or genetic explanations for chosen values, and an exaggerated stress on experience over fact, I found this book overall to be a well-reasoned and useful guide to improving daily experience."
~ Written on 2007-06-14