What is flow?

Many of us may remember some experience where we were engaged in an activity, and in the blink of an eye it seemed as if hours had elapsed. This experience is referred to as flow, and a few years ago it was the subject of a lot of research that resulted in another, more descriptive term called 'optimal experience'.

The reason why such a relatively strange human quality attracted enough attention to become the subject of research, is that such experiences are frequently remembered as “the best time of our life”.

One of these experiments aimed to examine the different user experiences that facilitate the occurrence of flow, simply by asking research subjects to describe their flow experience. By analyzing the feedback they formulated the following qualities that are common to the flow experience.

  • Challenge – The activity must be challenging, but not so much that it discourages people from participating.
  • Skill – To complete the activity, a participant must use some kind of skill, and engagement in the activity should develop that skill.
  • Control – The activity must be under the control of the participant. 
  • Focus – Successful completion of the activity should require the participant to focus. 
  • Feedback – Participating in the activity should provide the participant with some kind of sensory feedback, particularly with regard to focus and control. 
  • Repetition – The activity should be repetitive in nature, with a defined beginning and end. The skill gained during the completed activity must empower the participant to complete the next challenge.

By combining all of these qualities into an activity, we establish the ideal condition for an experience in which we can literally lose ourself. Ergo, we go in flow. It is a naturally occurring experience that can be triggered by any activity that exhibit similar qualities to the list above.

So the next time that you find yourself lost in time on the dance floor or drumming your self into a trance, spare a moment of awareness to the universal wonder of flow. But not too much, or you may just lose your grasp on the shared reality of flow.
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Comments

BCome said…
With such a wide range of experience that fit the description, youre welcome to post a link to your own kind of flow.
15 April 2015 at 19:44
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