DAY 164 - THE "FLOW" OF HAPPINESS

Day 164

Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (it’s a good thing I’m writing his name and not attempting to pronounce it) was born in Hungary in 1934.  Like many of his contemporaries, Second World War had a great impact on his life.  It is in the midst of the misery that surrounded him that he first got interested in happiness.  As he observed adults around him, he wondered how people could find even a touch of joy when their basic need for security was compromised.

Later on, during a trip to Switzerland, Csikszentmihalyi heard Carl Jung speak and became interested in the field of psychology.  He then traveled to the U.S to further his studies. Csikszentmihalyi  began his research on happiness by observing artists and creative people. He noted that the act of creating seemed to put people in what he calls the “flow” state, in which the person is completely immersed in an activity. 

Csikszentmihalyi spent time trying to identify what makes a person achieve that state.  He realized that some activities such as playing chess, playing tennis, skiing, etc. allowed people to become absorbed in such a way that they were no longer self-conscious and that those activities could therefore create that state of “flow”.

However, on a larger scale, he believes that any activity involving creativity, which is neither too demanding nor too simple for a person’s abilities, could provide an “optimal experience” of flow.  By getting involved in such activities, we feel strong and in control. Happiness that depends on external circumstances can certainly provide contentment, but the happiness that follows flow is of our own making.  It is in our control, since we use our abilities to make it happen.

To achieve that state of “flow”, we need to set goals that are somewhat challenging and that remain challenging, so that we don’t fall into the trap of boredom. Csikszentmihalyi insists that happiness does not simply happen. It must be prepared for and cultivated by each individual. Finally, for him, happiness is definitely not about reaching the goal, but rather about enjoying the effortless and unselfconsciousness associated with the process.

“To know oneself is the first step toward making flow a part of one's entire life. But just as there is no free lunch in the material economy, nothing comes free in the psychic one. If one is not willing to invest psychic energy in the internal reality of consciousness, and instead squanders it in chasing external rewards, one loses mastery of one's life, and ends up becoming a puppet of circumstances.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi


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