Flow

Books | Psychology / Creative Ability

3.9

(2.7K)

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

“Csikszentmihalyi arrives at an insight that many of us can intuitively grasp, despite our insistent (and culturally supported) denial of this truth. That is, it is not what happens to us that determines our happiness, but the manner in which we make sense of that reality. . . . The manner in which Csikszentmihalyi integrates research on consciousness, personal psychology and spirituality is illuminating.” —Los Angeles Times Book ReviewThe bestselling classic that holds the key to unlocking meaning, creativity, peak performance, and true happiness. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi ("the leading researcher into ‘flow states’" —Newsweek) demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness, unlock our potential, and greatly improve the quality of our lives.

Psychology

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Author

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Pages

336

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

2009-10-13

ISBN

0061876720 9780061876721

Ratings

Google: 4.5

Community ReviewsSee all

"I thought this was a pleasant surprise--I remember this book being recommended to me by Dr.Mike and many other professionals, but never really gave it a go until 9th grade. It's definitely written by an expert who knows how to formulate paragraphs and paragraphs into an understandable text for anyone. The extent to which I identified with the scenarios, examples, and situations the author provided was eye-opening, and I felt like this book was made for me. Parts such as the effect of the family lives on people's abilities to be in flow, the indifference of the universe, psychic entropy, and things to stay away from were phrases he used to put my own feelings into words. Things I learned: * At any moment we can manage 7 bits of info, and we have 185 billion bits of info to process over a 70-year life span. * Battle is not against the self, but against entropy -- it is for the self, in my opinion. * the Ise shrine was part of a culture that required its citizens to build it again every year, thus making them feel connected. Thomas Jefferson knew that having members stay active in the political system was the way to get them from rebelling. * the normal state of the mind is chaos. * good memories today are useless except for some game show. "

Ananya Anand

"This book makes you think about how the time you spend in the state of flow enhances your sense of self worth and happiness. "

0xaA S.

"This book really provides perspective on what things matter in your life and why, as well as how to use those activities to create a more cohesive sense of meaning. Truly fascinating and extremely useful!! "