by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Happiness is just a thing called "flow."
Reviewed by: Frances O. Thomas
About Frances O. Thomas
I once tried to read Csikszentmihalyi's book, Flow, but I didn't get too far. In that book, he defines the concept of peak experiences, those moments in life when our hearts and minds are so in synch that we lose track of time. As a trained counselor, I was really interested in the subject matter. But Csikszentmihalyi is, after all, a full professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and he writes like one: dense verbiage alert. This book, thankfully, is a bit more accessible.
The topic is still a weighty one. Dr. C. (as I will henceforth call him so I don't have to keep typing that name) endeavors to explain how to lead a good life. While he acknowledges that some of our parameters are determined by our individual biochemistry and the social setting into which we are born, he also points out how much of life is left within our control. The key factor seems to be time and how we choose to fill it.
Dr. C. and other researchers used a procedure called the Experience Sampling Method. They randomly signaled subjects throughout the day to answer questions about what they were doing, with whom, and how they felt. At the time this book was written, data had been collected from about 7,000 people.
Dr. C. estimates that most of us have somewhere between 20 and 43 hours a week left over after we go to work or school and complete all of our grooming and household maintenance chores. Those leisure hours are split among media consumption (mostly watching television), socializing, and hobbies or other active pursuits.
The peak experiences that Dr. C. is so fond of studying put us in a state he calls "flow." He says flow occurs when a person is in a situation with clear goals that require a response. These activities provide immediate feedback. Flow is the result when our skills match a particular challenge. If we're lucky in our career choice, these moments can occur at work. But, if the realities of having to make a living keep us in a less than optimal job, we need to find flow in our leisure time.
Guess what? That obsession with reality TV may seem a dandy way to relax, but, by definition, the road to flow and subsequent happiness doesn't pass that way. Dr. C's studies show that Americans, adults and teenagers alike, spend approximately four times as many hours watching television as we do in more actives hobbies, sports, or games; however, television has less than half the chance at making us feel good. Uh oh.
Dr. C. reminds us how the Romans used passive leisure in the form of "bread and circuses" to keep its citizens from unruliness during the decline of the Empire. Sound familiar? Maybe it's time to get up off that couch.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Finding Flow
Copyright © by Frances O. Thomas, 2003
Reviewed by Frances O. Thomas
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-- Twelve Mile Limit - by Randy Wayne White
-- What Color is Your Parachute 2003 - by Richard Bolles
-- Fish! Tales - by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., John Christensen, and Harry Paul, with Phillip Strand
-- Finding Flow - by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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