Flow occurs when you are challenged to the brink of your abilities in a meaningful activity with immediate feedback
up:: Flow MOC
”Challenged to the brink of your abilities”
Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act. –Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience
When your body or mind is stretched to its limits. In an activity too below your capacity, you are bored, too high your capacity you are anxious. In between these two there is a space. Flow occurs in this space. There is a chance of completing the task.
In flow, you are fully focused on an activity
Since you are just on the outskirts of your current abilities, the activity takes up your full Attentional space. “Psychic entropy” –fear, worry or despair– as well as basic functions –hunger, a sense of time– are not perceived since there is no attention to be spared on them.
”Meaningful activity”
In order to be meaningful, the activity must be in line with your goals.
”Immediate feedback”
The activity has clear goals that we can evaluate our performance against. We feel in control.
Origin
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