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Flow: A Path to Happiness

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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!

One of the best examples of an unreliable genre

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The self-help genre rightly attracts a lot of criticism; there are a lot of charlatans out there. 'Flow', however is a book which clearly stands out. Csikszentmihalyi speaks with tremendous authority, and his education clearly extends well beyond psychology. But most importantly the book isn't about providing false hope by offering miraculous quick fixes which don't work. The book is just about educating the reader, so they they may make their own informed decisions about how to improve their lives. The author speaks to you with a very sympathetic tone. He presents a secular, liberal acccount, but what may come as a surprise is that there is quite a lot of moralising in the book. He seems to mention on what seems like every page how much of a waste of time it is to watch television. What he arrives at is hence an unapalogetic, scientifically proven 'elitism'. Studies show that people who spend their time contructively really do find more enjoyment in their lives than people who just drink and watch soap operas. If you disagree with this sentiment, you would be advised to stay away from this book. Otherwise, this is a must read. The main theme of the book is the paradox of the increasing difficulty finding enjoyment and meaning in an increasingly wealthy and liberated society. As we go further and further in this direction, it's a book which will only get more and more relevant.

Why is the one and two star reviews for this item not available?	Customer Rating:
I want this book. I am going to by it, because I have heard a lot positive about it. But I would also like to read what the people who didn't like it have to say. Why isn't the one and two star reviews for this item available? Is it just a coindidence?

A 'fluid' read

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Reading this book itself has been a 'flow' experience, which is a testament to Mr Csikszentmihalyi's (if that is not a mouthful, what is!) writing and his choice of the topic itself. The book celebrates the cardinal importance of the quality of experience over conventional success metrics/ outcome norms that people pursue. My key takeaways from the book are: 1) The 'flow zone' definition on the skills-challenges 2x2 2) The role of complexity and the modeling of 'dissipative structures' in creating order out of chaos (read psychic entropy) 3) The principle of the 'autotelic' self, and mindful challenge as the ultimate source of contentment Written in a easy paced, intuitive style, this is a highly effective read. PS: The 4 pronged classification of all the world's 'games': agon, alea, ilinx and mimicry is quite novel

An important book for sports people

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Csikszentmihalyi IS the authority on this subject and as a keen rower I have always had an interest in The Flow or Zone as its known in sport. This book is also a vital resource for anyone with an interest in their sport and how to achieve a peak performance. I have always found it curious as to why when I'm in The Flow whilst rowing I feel euphoric and so complete. This book goes along way to explaining why. Roy Palmer's Zone Mind, Zone Body is an excellent companion to this book with its practical techniques to get into The Flow.