Week 4 Flashcards
What is flow?
A state of intense absorption and involvement with the present moment
- totally immersed & fully concentrated - UNAWARE of yourself
Who was Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi?
-was researching creativity and noticed that artists would endure many difficulties like hunger
-thought the good life was characterized by flow
How is flow talked about in athletics?
Being “in the zone”
What was a class story about flow?
The story about the abused woman and her sewing
How might flow feel?
like being in a time warp
What are 4 benefits of flow?
1 - very pleasurable & fulfilling (natural high - very positive & productive & controllable - doesn’t produce guilt or shame and doesn’t damage us or society)
2 - want to repeat it (because it is INTRINSICALLY rewarding) - (but have to always increase the bar because you get better which influences it)
3 - we truly forget ourselves (because it is task orientated and NOT self-focused - tends to lead to greater well-being)
4 - we experience absorption (opposite of being distracted or mind-wandering which leads to unhappiness and lower mood)
What is needed for flow?
Need a balance between skills and challenge.
- if the challenge is too much, become anxious and frustrated
-if there is not enough challenge, feel bored
Flow demands just the right balance between challenge and skills
What are 8 ways to increase flow experiences (knowing that some just come naturally)?
1 - control attention (must be directed fully to the task at hand)
2 - adopt certain values (openness to try new things, curiosity)
3 - learn what flows (can occur even in unpleasant circumstances/with unpleasant tasks - Ex=writing her father’s eulogy)
4 - Transform routine tasks (create micro flow activities in something really boring)
5 - flow in conversation
6 - Be smarter in our leisure (choose wisely - think of me during midterm experience)
7 - Smart work - (remarkably adapt at creating maximum engagement & meaning in our work - Ex=beat officers working by themselves)
8 - strive for super flow (Lori has NO idea what that means)
What is an example of memory bias?
When people recall vacations better than what they actually experienced at the time
What are 2 limits of flow?
1 - Dependency (sometimes you enjoy activities so much that you become dependent on a very narrow range of options while neglecting other skills that would open doors and opportunities later in life)
2 - Insufficiency (helpful to happiness but not sufficient) - (activities may be pleasurable in the moment but not in the long run - Ex=scrolling the internet)
What has to be distinguished when dealing with flow & what are the consequences of not doing this & what is warning sign?
-have to distinguish between constructive flow and TOO compelling/addiction
-can damage relationships, goals, etc.
-constantly ignoring needs of people around us is a warning sign
-flow should add so much to life and enhance our responsibilities
What are the 4 connections between culture & flow?
1 - skill match (cultures in which goals/norms match the skills of the population have more flow)
2 - work-based flow (cultures in which jobs are not too monotonous, boring, or stressful/challenging have more flow)
3 - religious rituals (cultures in which religious rituals involve singing, dance, or meditation that is widely practiced have more flow)
4 - well-matched competitors (when skilled gains have well-matched competitors, there is more flow) Ex=the last football game OR sumo wrestling
What is the relationship between gender and flow?
-study showed sexual objectification to measure flow
· Found women with higher internalization of beauty performed worse under male gaze - less flow
· Research found instance of sexual objectification every 2 days or 1.5 days for college women
What is the relationship between genetics and flow?
-twin study found flow proneness related to ‘big 5 personality traits’
- flow is MODERATELY impacted by genetics (moderately heritable)
- flow can be nurtured and enhanced
What is savoring?
applying conscious awareness to enjoyment experiences.
