We can watch people as they engage in activities and see if their actions match up against what we know about the Flow State. The second way we can measure flow is by observation. But how else can we measure flow on a more practical level? Which is wonderful if you have access to a world-class medical facility. By measuring the electromyographic (EMG) signals in the brain, we can see signs of where the brain and body are connecting in recognizable ways to measure the flow consciousness.
The most resource-intensive but likely most effective is by using neuroscience. It turns out there are a number of different approaches, at differing levels of practicality and effort. Okay, so now that we know different ways that people can enter the Flow State, how can we measure for it? In other words, to enter the Flow State, we need to be able to tackle the task, but we also need the task to be difficult enough to challenge us. We can create control where we feel happy and confident when our abilities are high even when our challenges are moderate. We can create arousal where we feel alert and focused through high challenges even when our abilities are moderate. We experience high flow when we feel focused and happy through a combination of high challenges and high abilities. We experience low flow when we are sad or depressed through a combination of low challenges and low abilities. Here are ways that people enter the Flow State: Okay, so we see what happens when people do NOT enter the Flow State, but what happens when they DO? So not only are there more detailed levels of anxiety and boredom, but flow does not happen from low challenge and low skill level. One first step is to recognize that Csíkszentmihályi and others have expanded on the concept of Flow over the years, and there is a more accurate diagram of what happens in and around the Flow State: Conversely, when the task difficulty is too low or we are too skilled for the task, we can become bored.īut that sweet spot in the middle is the Flow zone, or the Flow State.īut how do we recognize the Flow State in others so we can help them better navigate tasks and increase engagement? When a task difficulty is too high or we aren’t skilled enough for the task, we can suffer anxiety. This concept was named by Professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975, and it has made its way into much of the psychology literature in the past decades. Remember that state that you enter when you feel fully immersed in an activity? When it feels like nothing else exists in the moment except that thing you are fully focused on?Įspecially in sports, it is also known as being “in the zone”.
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