A theory that enjoyment does not result from relaxing or living without stress, but rather, it come from a state of "flow" that is reached during intense activities.

Flow Theory

1. Paying attention - choosing to focus attention on activity.
2. Interested attention - continually maintaining focus on activity. 
3. Absorbed attention - impossible for mind to wander, be distracted from activity.
4. Merging - no longer aware of separation between self and activity.


The Proposed Stages of "Flow"

- Coincides with less activity in the left hemisphere and greater activity in the right hemisphere
- Associated with moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and possibly co-activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic branches
- Associated with specific patterns of evoked potential in brain waves.

Physiological Counterpart of "Flow"

A state of confidence, absorption, perceptions of control, enhanced motivation, enjoyment, and altered sensory perceptions free of critical thoughts. Actions committed in flow state feel effortless.

Flow State

The experience of flow is marked by several distinct characteristics: intense involvement to the point of losing one's sense of self, effortless concentration and focus, a feeling of complete control over one's actions, and a distorted perception of time, which often seems to pass more quickly than usual.

Characteristics of the Flow State

Flow is a pleasurable experience that typically arises when an individual engages in an activity that is both challenging and requires skills and knowledge that they possess. This balance between the difficulty of the task and the person's capabilities is a key condition for entering the flow state.

Conditions for Achieving Flow

When asked a question designed to identify flow-like experiences—'Do you ever get involved in something so deeply that nothing else seems to matter, and you lose track of time?'—approximately 20% of Americans and Europeans report having such experiences regularly.

Prevalence of Flow Experiences

According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, creating the necessary conditions for individuals to experience flow should be a primary social and political objective. This perspective suggests that public policy should aim to facilitate opportunities for deep, meaningful engagement.

Societal Importance of Fostering Flow

The concept of flow suggests that deep engagement in an intrinsically rewarding activity is a more significant contributor to a happy and fulfilling life than material wealth or possessions. Finding an activity that is so absorbing that it becomes its own reward is presented as a primary pathway to achieving genuine well-being.

Flow as a Key to Happiness and Fulfillment

Flow can be experienced in a wide range of activities. It is often found in creative and leisure pursuits that are intrinsically rewarding, such as playing tennis, studying a new language like Arabic, writing novels, or cooking elaborate meals. It can also occur during high-stakes or competitive situations, like a well-prepared student taking an exam, a gamer in a tournament, a runner mid-sprint, or a chess player planning a move.

Examples of Flow-Inducing Activities

An experienced software developer is working on a complex coding problem. They are so engrossed in the task that they lose track of time, their actions feel effortless and intuitive, and they are not thinking about their salary or potential promotion, but are driven purely by the challenge of solving the problem. Which of the following best explains the developer's psychological state?

Flow is a state of deep engagement and absorption in an activity, making the experience intrinsically rewarding. The term itself originated from individuals' spontaneous descriptions of this feeling when an activity was going well. This state is not limited to creative or leisure pursuits but can also be found in work or academic study—essentially any activity that is sufficiently engrossing.

Michigan State University

Google

Columbia University

Positive psychology is a field of research that was formally established in 1998 when Martin Seligman, then president of the American Psychological Association, called for a new focus on building human strength and psychological well-being. Often described as the 'science of happiness,' this area of study seeks to identify and promote the qualities that contribute to a more fulfilled life. It represents a significant shift from traditional psychology's emphasis on pathology, faults, and problems, instead concentrating on people's strengths and the factors that enable individuals to lead happy and contented lives.

Positive Psychology

Abuhamdeh S. (2020). Investigating the "Flow" Experience: Key Conceptual and Operational Issues. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 158. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00158

Investigating the “Flow” Experience: Key Conceptual and Operational Issues

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

- Expressing kindness
- Gratitude
- Humility
- Awe
- Mindfulness
- Optimism
- Telemedicine / Telehealth 

Interventions Used in Positive Psychology

Positive psychology practices can be implemented beneficially in a number of spaces, such as worksites, schools, and healthcare settings.  It focuses on positive emotions and strengths rather than mentally ill health and its consequences, which can mitigate some of the stigma surrounding mental health.

Utility of Positive Psychology in Promoting Public Mental Health

Health promotion is defined by the increase in control an individual has over their health and also in the ways in which an individual can improve their health. 

Health Promotion 

  - Redirecting focus from Pathology and disorder to positive feelings 
  - Shed light on the ways in which an individual can function optimally 
  - Remove stigma surrounding health (ex. Health isn't exclusively about 
     the absence of illness) 

Major Goals of Positive Psychology on Health 

 - Positive Psychology is promoting the undermining of mainstream psychology
 - Positive Psychology is reinforcing negative views on pathology and mental illness studies
 - Adaptation
 - Goals 
 - Temperament 
 - Heritability
 - Forecasting 
 - Recall biases 
 - accuracy of measurements relating to well-being
 - influence on well-being

Criticisms of Positive Psychology

A subcategory of overall health relating to one's emotional well-being by one's ability to successfully overcome everyday stressors, to realize one's inner potential, and to work in a manner that gives back to the self and to their community.

Mental Health

"Flow" in Positive Psychology

 What promotes excellence in performance? A researcher studying how sports psychology and positive psychology intersect brought forth this pictural in attempt to answer that question.

 Promoting excellence in performance

Positive affect refers to the experience of pleasurable engagement with one's environment, encompassing feelings like happiness, joy, enthusiasm, alertness, and excitement. This feeling state can manifest in various ways, being brief and momentary, long-lasting, or even a stable, trait-like characteristic of an individual's personality.

Positive Affect

Benefit finding is the process of deriving positive growth from adversity.

Benefit finding

Happiness is conceptualized as an enduring state of mind, often called subjective well-being, that goes beyond temporary positive moods. It encompasses two key aspects: experiencing pleasure and positive emotions in daily life, and a deeper sense of fulfillment derived from using one's skills and talents to enrich both their own life and the lives of others.

Happiness

Positive peace psychology is an emerging subfield that extends the core principles of positive psychology to a global scale. It focuses on applying these principles to address widespread conflict, hatred, and distrust. The ultimate goal of this field is to understand how to overcome oppression and promote well-being and peace within the international community.

Positive Peace Psychology

Positive psychology investigates a range of subjects aimed at understanding and fostering human flourishing. Key areas of study include prosocial behaviors and virtues like altruism, empathy, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and mindfulness. The field also explores creativity, the role of positive emotions, savoring life's moments, and the connection between psychological states and physical health, such as enhanced immune system functioning.

Topics in Positive Psychology

Located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Waisman Center, the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds is an organization established in 2008 and led by neuroscientist Dr. Richard J. Davidson. It is dedicated to conducting rigorous scientific research on positive mental qualities like kindness and compassion. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop mental health training approaches that help people live happier and healthier lives.

Center for Investigating Healthy Minds

Research on psychological well-being in recent years has focused on the factors that constitute optimal levels of human flourishing and their relationship to physical health, work performance, social relationships, and a range of other outcomes. Mechanisms of self-regulation such as psychotherapy, positive psychology interventions, and contemplative practices have been studied in relation to changes in well-being.

Psychological Well-being

Optimism is the inclination to maintain a positive outlook and expect favorable outcomes. It is often conceptualized as a generalized tendency for one to believe that good things will happen. Another perspective defines optimism as the tendency to view life's difficulties and stressors as temporary and external to oneself.

Optimism

Positive psychology is a field of scientific inquiry that seeks to understand the elements contributing to a better life for everyone. Its goal is to identify the foundations of hope, optimism, happiness, healthy relationships, flow, and authentic personal fulfillment.

The Promise of Positive Psychology

Based on the case study below, contrast the likely primary focus of a psychologist emphasizing the study of pathology and dysfunction with that of a psychologist specializing in building human strength and well-being. What would each professional prioritize in their sessions with the client?

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