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Product Description
Review
Elegantly written...it is more relevant than ever
--The Times
--The Times
Book Description
This classic popular psychology title explains how, by altering our perspective, we can achieve happiness, dispel disharmony and enter a state of perfect equilibrium - a state of 'flow'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
70 of 74 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book points out something which should be obvious - that in order tohave a happy, fulfilling life you must live your life to have as many"flow" experiences as possible. That is, you must do things that havegoals that you are fully committed to achieving, and that you are highlymotivated to achieve. The human brain has evolved to solve challenges suchas hunting, finding new territory and surviving in inhospitable climates.Having motivating challenges results in a happy and fulfilling life, whilea lack of such factors can lead to depression, fatigue and ill health.
A number of years ago after suffering from suicidal depression, anxietyand chronic illness (CFS/ME), I eventually came to a point where I wasforced to change my lifestyle. Partly by sheer luck, and partly thoughobserving how my lifestyle affected my mental and physical health, Ieventually came to the realisation that having positive goals andmotivation were crucial to maintaining my health, and that a lack of thesefactors lead back down the path of physical and mental deterioration.
In the past few years I have lived my entire life as one long "flow"experience - everything I do is now part of an overall plan for my life,and every day I am working towards short- and long-term goals that I amhighly motivated in. Over the last few years I have completely recoveredfrom CFS/ME and have not suffered from depression, and this is purely downto my change in lifestyle and mental attitude - what Csikszentmihalyidescribes as "flow".
After coming across Csikszentmihalyi's work a few weeks ago, I realisedthat his "flow" concept is exactly the same as the mental attitude andlifestyle factors that have helped me go from chronic ill health anddepression to perfect physical and mental health and living a happy andfulfilling life. If I had read this book 5 years ago, it would have savedme a lot of trouble!
The only minor criticism of the book is it doesn't have any index, butthis doesn't detract much from a very important book that deserves a lotmore recognition.
A number of years ago after suffering from suicidal depression, anxietyand chronic illness (CFS/ME), I eventually came to a point where I wasforced to change my lifestyle. Partly by sheer luck, and partly thoughobserving how my lifestyle affected my mental and physical health, Ieventually came to the realisation that having positive goals andmotivation were crucial to maintaining my health, and that a lack of thesefactors lead back down the path of physical and mental deterioration.
In the past few years I have lived my entire life as one long "flow"experience - everything I do is now part of an overall plan for my life,and every day I am working towards short- and long-term goals that I amhighly motivated in. Over the last few years I have completely recoveredfrom CFS/ME and have not suffered from depression, and this is purely downto my change in lifestyle and mental attitude - what Csikszentmihalyidescribes as "flow".
After coming across Csikszentmihalyi's work a few weeks ago, I realisedthat his "flow" concept is exactly the same as the mental attitude andlifestyle factors that have helped me go from chronic ill health anddepression to perfect physical and mental health and living a happy andfulfilling life. If I had read this book 5 years ago, it would have savedme a lot of trouble!
The only minor criticism of the book is it doesn't have any index, butthis doesn't detract much from a very important book that deserves a lotmore recognition.
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Be warned - this book is very heavy going. It is clearly well researched, but you have to read it slowly. More like an academic thesis than light reading.
In fact, as I think a previous reviewer has said, it isn't your typical self help book. In fact, if you are looking for a book which will give you practical tips on how to improve your life, or your outlook on life, I doubt that this is the book for you.
The book really has only one central message - participation in "flow" activities tends to make you happy. These are activities that are goal orientated and challenging enough to absorb all your attention such that, when engaged in them, you cease to notice the passage of time. For me, it is playing the violin. For others it may, for example, be art or a challenging sport. They tend to be active rather than passive activities - i.e. producing a painting as opposed to visiting a gallery, making music as opposed to listening to it.
So I guess you can read the book and take away this one nugget of information, or you could take my word for it and spend the time you would have spent reading the book engaging in your favourite "flow" activity instead!
In fact, as I think a previous reviewer has said, it isn't your typical self help book. In fact, if you are looking for a book which will give you practical tips on how to improve your life, or your outlook on life, I doubt that this is the book for you.
The book really has only one central message - participation in "flow" activities tends to make you happy. These are activities that are goal orientated and challenging enough to absorb all your attention such that, when engaged in them, you cease to notice the passage of time. For me, it is playing the violin. For others it may, for example, be art or a challenging sport. They tend to be active rather than passive activities - i.e. producing a painting as opposed to visiting a gallery, making music as opposed to listening to it.
So I guess you can read the book and take away this one nugget of information, or you could take my word for it and spend the time you would have spent reading the book engaging in your favourite "flow" activity instead!
45 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read Flow partically as a self-improvement book, and partially because several people involved in game design (particularly "Theory of Fun") recommended it.
It's really interesting. Solidly researched stuff by a proper psychologist looking into what makes people happier. And it's the same thing as makes a big difference to me at the end of a day by myself - if I've set myself clear goals of what to do, and I know whether or not I've met them, I feel a lot happier with myself than if I just potter around, even if I accomplish exactly the same thing.
Csikszentmihalyi (Chick-sent-mi-hal-yi)'s theory is that what makes people happy isn't simple pleasure, but the "flow" state they attain if:
<ul>
<li> You're doing something they might succeed at
<li> You can concentrate on it
<li> You've got clear goals
<li> You know immediately whether you've won or lost
</ul>
This state might not be immensely pleasurable at the time, but it makes you forget all your worries, and gives you a great sense of control.
And somehow, this managed to cover a 300-page paperback book saying this, and yet very little of it was wasted. It goes into great detail about how many different activities might produce this feeling (not least games, which are designed specifically to produce it). A real insight - and it explains why most of us want jobs which challenge and stretch us.
He only really goes off the boil at the end, when he suggests that in order to give life meaning (as a materialist, he does not believe it has one already) you choose something which gives you meaningful goals with clear feedback for your entire life. But preferably without choosing the goal of racial purity (or something similarly destructive). The worrying point is that it's just as possible to achieve flow doing something harmful as it is doing something good. He tries to follow Viktor Frankl ("There is no single meaning of life. The meaning of life is found moment by moment") but ends up with "There's only one way of life, and that's your own".
It's really interesting. Solidly researched stuff by a proper psychologist looking into what makes people happier. And it's the same thing as makes a big difference to me at the end of a day by myself - if I've set myself clear goals of what to do, and I know whether or not I've met them, I feel a lot happier with myself than if I just potter around, even if I accomplish exactly the same thing.
Csikszentmihalyi (Chick-sent-mi-hal-yi)'s theory is that what makes people happy isn't simple pleasure, but the "flow" state they attain if:
<ul>
<li> You're doing something they might succeed at
<li> You can concentrate on it
<li> You've got clear goals
<li> You know immediately whether you've won or lost
</ul>
This state might not be immensely pleasurable at the time, but it makes you forget all your worries, and gives you a great sense of control.
And somehow, this managed to cover a 300-page paperback book saying this, and yet very little of it was wasted. It goes into great detail about how many different activities might produce this feeling (not least games, which are designed specifically to produce it). A real insight - and it explains why most of us want jobs which challenge and stretch us.
He only really goes off the boil at the end, when he suggests that in order to give life meaning (as a materialist, he does not believe it has one already) you choose something which gives you meaningful goals with clear feedback for your entire life. But preferably without choosing the goal of racial purity (or something similarly destructive). The worrying point is that it's just as possible to achieve flow doing something harmful as it is doing something good. He tries to follow Viktor Frankl ("There is no single meaning of life. The meaning of life is found moment by moment") but ends up with "There's only one way of life, and that's your own".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great book by a great author
Wonderful and elaborate work about flow, how to achieve flow and how being in flow will result in a happier, better life. The book feels a bit like the 90's (because it is! Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Dorst
Work and how to enjoy it
As the title says, now a classic. Flow in various modes of life - including work and how to enjoy it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter W. Burden
Life changing
I don't usually give more than four stars to a book - five stars seems to indicate a non-discriminatory fanboy mentality to me - but this book gets five. Read more
Published 18 months ago by MoQingbird
Insightful
It really is a brilliant introduction to the concept of flow - optimal experience. He makes a very convincing case and offers a lot of evidence. Read more
Published 18 months ago by The Emperor
A deep classic - no quick fixes here
I read 'Flow' in 1993 and it had a great impact on the way I approached life. But this is not a self-help book nor is it a quick fix to Happiness. Nor is it an easy read. Read more
Published 23 months ago by M. J. Robinson
Paul's view..
A very good read, with very valid points, evidence and deductions.
Flow: has a definite, scientific, slightly logical approach and reasoning. Read more
Flow: has a definite, scientific, slightly logical approach and reasoning. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by Paul Persad
A great read for a happy existence
Quite heavy in places and a bit academic but a very good read for those wanting to achieve optimal experience in their fields just as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor did in his. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by Charles Elford
One of the best examples of an unreliable genre
The self-help genre rightly attracts a lot of criticism; there are a lot of charlatans out there. 'Flow', however is a book which clearly stands out. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2008 by P. Martin
Why is the one and two star reviews for this item not available?
I want this book. I am going to by it, because I have heard a lot positive about it. But I would also like to read what the people who didn't like it have to say. Read more
Published on 20 July 2008 by Asle Gundersby
A 'fluid' read
Reading this book itself has been a 'flow' experience, which is a testament to Mr Csikszentmihalyi's (if that is not a mouthful, what is! Read more
Published on 2 April 2008 by N. Marik
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