What is the Psychological State of "Flow?"

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Psychological flow is a state of deep concentration and sense of fulfillment, or optimal experience. The concept refers to a person being in “flow,” which is a state of mind characterized by complete absorption and fulfillment.

One interesting aspect of this psychological state is that, in a state of flow, time seems as if it passes quickly or one loses a real sense of time, as they are so absorbed in a given activity. Another important component of a psychological flow state is that intrinsic motivation helps to facilitate one getting into a flow state. In other words, if one engages in an activity for the inherent enjoyment they experience while doing the actual activity, as opposed to external rewards, the intrinsic motivation guiding them will help to facilitate psychological flow.

As I write this, I’m thinking about certain activities I know some people deeply enjoy doing: writing, woodworking, making art, an organization project, for just a few examples. What comes to mind are people who do these activities sometimes saying, when someone interrupts them, “I lost track of the time.” For such individuals, what may have been at work in such instances is that they actually reached a state of psychological flow.

This concept, described and researched by a psychologist named Csikszentmihalyi, is truly fascinating and part of the value I believe it has is in making us think about which activities each of us engages in where we reach a state of this flow, where we experience that degree of fulfillment.

See my YouTube channel  Dr. Seth: Psychologist with hundred of self-help videos available!