Imagine getting so caught up in an activity or pursuit that the rest of the world falls away as you perform effortlessly and in a highly successful manner. This flow state, identified by psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., occurs when individuals find themselves fully immersed in the actions of the present moment. Csikszentmihalyi further describes this flow state as “the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost for the sheer sake of doing it”. In this article, we present the varying components that combine to elicit the flow state, as well as how neurobiology contributes to this overall experience of positive psychology.
The Evolution of Flow
Psychology researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discovered that individuals tend to find genuine satisfaction during a state of consciousness which he called Flow. In this state, one likens the experience to that of total immersion, feeling completely absorbed in an activity that involves tapping into creative or athletic abilities. During this time frame, elite athletes often report feeling strong, alert, effortlessly in control, judgment-free, and at the peak of their abilities. Csikszentmihalyi insists that we cannot simply call upon happiness to occur; rather, we must prepare for and cultivate it by setting challenges that neither prove too demanding nor too simple for one’s abilities.
Positive Psychology
The field of positive psychology involves studying the optimal experiences that individuals have and, in turn, attempting to understand how to promote them more frequently. Studies looking at exercise participation figure prominently here; experts define “exercise participation” as planned, structured, and/or repetitive bodily movement, with a primary objective of improving or maintaining physical fitness. Data from gyms around the country indicate that approximately 50% of individuals drop out of a dedicated exercise program within one year of joining. A more in-depth analysis reported that participants link positive affect during moderate intensity exercise to future physical activity. Interestingly, post-exercise affect displayed a null relationship, revealing that despite typically feeling good after completing an exercise session, how people feel during exercise appears to carry more weight in determining subsequent engagement. These findings place emphasis on individuals’ experience during exercise as an important mechanism for long-term engagement. Therefore, understanding how and why this comes about could provide insights into how coaches and personal trainers may go about eliciting such experiences consistently for their clients.
Understanding how to promote rewarding exercise experiences might help some hesitant individuals open their minds to the concept of physical activity. One research study aimed to investigate the optimal psychological states experienced during rewarding exercise activities.
A sample of 18 individuals, median age 32 years, participated in event-focused, semi-structured interviews soon after having engaged in a rewarding exercise experience.
Participants reported two distinct optimal experiences during rewarding exercise activities, matching psychologists’ descriptions of flow and clutch states. Flow occurred in contexts involving exploration, novelty/variation, and flexible outcomes. Participants reported enjoying the exercise throughout the session, and recalled having a much lower than normal rate of perceived effort (RPE). The so-called clutch states occurred in contexts involving achievement and pressure. Exercisers perceived clutch states as enjoyable afterwards but not at the time, and reported having to put in intense effort. It would seem that flow provided an energizing effect, whereas clutch states caused more physical fatigue.
The Primary Components of Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described flow as “an enjoyable, intrinsically rewarding experience characterized by concentration and absorption in a specific activity, to the exclusion of irrelevant thoughts and emotions, and a sense of everything coming together or clicking into place, even in challenging situations.” Understanding of flow generally revolves around Csikszentmihalyi’s conceptualization of this state, which encompasses 9 dimensions; 3 describe the conditions through which flow occurs ~
- challenge-skills balance
- clear goals
- unambiguous feedback
The other 6 dimensions relate to characteristics of the experience ~
- concentration on the task at hand
- sense of control
- loss of self-consciousness
- action-awareness merging
- transformation of time
- the enjoyable and intrinsically rewarding experience itself
Given the desirability of these experiential characteristics, we can grasp the importance of creating flow vis-à-vis positive experiences during exercise. Many scientists have associated flow states with other positive, long-term outcomes such as increased engagement, one’s concept of self, intrinsic motivation, and wellbeing, all desirable consequences of exercise participation.
In the Zone
Perhaps you have experienced such feelings in your own athletic endeavors, going to that place where you “forget yourself” and begin acting effortlessly, coupled with a heightened sense of awareness of living in the moment. Athletes often call this mind-space “in the zone”.
The main ideas put forth in Csikszentmihalyi’s most popular book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (1990), stress that we must not look at happiness as a fixed state, but rather a state we can cultivate while learning to achieve flow in our lives. The key aspect to flow lies in our control: when immersed in the flow-like state, we exercise control over the contents of our consciousness, rather than allowing ourselves and our actions to be determined by external forces.
Csikszentmihalyi points to 5 ways through which one can evolve into a self-motivated, intrinsically driven person:
- Setting goals with clear and immediate feedback
- Totally immersed in the activity
- Paying attention to what occurs in the moment
- Learning to enjoy the immediate experience
- Proportioning one’s skills to the challenge presented
Skills That Flow Through the Challenge
In order to capture that “flow” presence of mind, one must focus upon his own skill-challenge balance, which means ensuring that the challenge presented does not overtax his skill set but neither does it underutilize his abilities to the point of boredom. This delicate and dynamic balance hinges upon one’s ability to incrementally improve his/her skill levels when performing the tasks, thereby causing him to engage in new challenges to match these increasing skills.
To that end, the undivided attention to a task truly embodies the clearest sign of flow. While it may seem like a matter of semantics, we can think of this in terms of one feeling aware of his actions, but not feeling the awareness itself. It would seem that the best moments in our lives tend to occur when we stretch our mind/body to its limits with the express purpose of accomplishing a challenging but worthwhile task.
Addressing the Clutch Performance
The term “clutch performance” found its way into the American vernacular during the 1970s, particularly in relation to baseball and basketball; it refers to improved performance under pressure. Clutch states, therefore, appear to underlie instances of superior performance when an athlete finds himself under duress. Psychologists Hibbs and Otten explain the phenomenon of clutch performance in reference to an athlete performing optimally or successfully under high-pressure circumstances: competitions, a big playoff game, etc. Hibbs further specifies that the following aspects must come into play ~
- The athlete must perceive that pressure
- He must have the capacity to experience stress
- He must perceive the outcome as important
- He must succeed largely through effort
Furthermore, athletes describing clutch states reported intrinsic rewards after the experience, including enjoyment, pride, and satisfaction, but not necessarily during the exercise.
While qualitative studies of clutch states and flow states reveal overlapping characteristics –enjoyment, enhanced motivation, perceived control, total absorption, confidence, and altered perception of time — we must also recognize those aspects that distinguish them from one another. Athletes describe a clutch state as a time of complete and deliberate focus, heightened awareness of the demands of the situation, and the need for intense effort, whereas flow seemed as if everything effortlessly fell into place to elicit the positive feelings.
Novelty Can Ignite Creativity and Flow
As trainers and group exercise instructors, we realize the inherent value of keeping clients/students engaged in their fitness journeys. We strive to keep sessions fresh and fun, always introducing something creative the keep our participants motivated. Some research has explored how novelty in exercise can increase engagement and motivation. Studies examine the flow state—the feeling of deep immersion and concentration—as a way to improve commitment to physical activity, especially when introducing new exercises or variations.
What experts have learned in recent years reflects the belief that, more than just a feeling, flow actually comes about as a result of measurable alterations in the body’s neurobiology. Consider the following ~
- During flow, the brain experiences reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, allowing freedom from self-doubt, judgment, and overthinking. This process enhances intuitive thinking and spurs creative momentum
- Flow states trigger the release of extra dopamine, creating a sense of motivation and satisfaction that feels good and reinforces the learning of new skills
- Engaging in activities such as physical exercise that encourage flow can help strengthen the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This leads to improved memory, adaptability, and faster skill development.
Exploring the Neurobiology Behind Flow
When an individual finds himself in the throes of flow, the brain shifts from its standard mode of functioning into a place where brainwaves move from the quick beta waves one typically experiences during waking hours to the much slower borderline between alpha and theta waves. Alpha waves usually accompany “day-dreaming”, a state into which most people can slip without much internal resistance. Theta activity appears just before falling asleep, that highly coveted REM state of sleep. Therein lies the ability of our subconscious ideas to interact and combine in novel ways, ultimately leading to our creativity.
Flow state owes its existence in part to transient hypofrontality, or temporary deactivation of the prefrontal cortex. The majority of one’s higher cognitive function occurs in this area of the brain. Hence, it makes sense that with the prefrontal cortex activity temporarily suspended, the “self” and our judgment thereof simply recede during the flow state. With this area deactivated, we find ourselves much less critical and far more courageous, tapping into new skill sets and safely pushing our own boundaries.
The cascade of chemicals released from the brain during a flow state – norepinephrine, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin — all induce pleasure and may also have a potent effect on the brain’s creative abilities. These chemicals also bring about a keen focus, lowering what neuroscientists refer to as “signal-to-noise ratios, increasing our ability to think in novel ways.
In sports, the flow state aligns directly with the level of performance of the athlete. In a similar fashion, individuals observe flow states in situations where they feel confident in their abilities and the action required seems effortless. This state of optimal functioning seems to enable one to transcend his usual skill level and fully realize his potential.
Flow also impacts the acquisition of new skills and their subsequent improvement. As one masters a challenging activity, making it simpler to manage, he must continue engaging in more and more complex situations in order to propagate this flow state.
Fitness and Altered States Economy
In their book “Stealing Fire”, authors Jamie Wheal and Steven Kotler describe how, when pursuing the desirable flow state, individuals create what they refer to as “an altered states economy”. This phrase fits when we consider the relationship between fitness/exercise and the flow state. In a Group Exercise class, for example, the strong downbeat of the music combines with active movement, clearly defined goals, and (very often) constant feedback from the instructor.
If we apply this thinking to a tough weightlifting session, we can see how flow originates; in order to tap into it, an athlete must find a way to mesh peak performance with functioning at the pinnacle of his abilities. When striving for a goal of lifting a certain amount of weight or completing a desired number of repetitions, we often find ourselves so immersed in the activity that all distractions ebb away. In that moment, we find our ideal mindset, focusing all of our movement on the task at hand. Furthermore, the absence of any negative thoughts fuels the flow state, rendering the athlete more driven to continue working and finding the experience both effortless and pleasurable.
While we cannot directly send an invitation to a flow state, we can take steps to foster an open mindset before an exercise session. Rather than setting a fixed goal, some individuals prefer to set the stage by asking themselves a simple question: “What amazing thing can I accomplish today?” This allows for opening the universe to intentionality rather than forcing a situation. Before realizing it, time has elapsed, goals have been conquered, and the athlete literally flows through the successful and positive experience.
References
https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/how-flow-states-help-you-get-in-shape-1bc423750153
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a39851549/flow-state-workouts/
https://www.24hourfitness.com/24life/fitness/2019/three-steps-for-achieving-flow-when-you-work-out
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7983950/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9248863/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7033418/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9009586/
https://scispace.com/pdf/clutch-performance-in-sport-and-exercise-a-systematic-review-3y871bpygo.pdf
https://academic.oup.com/book/39228/chapter-abstract/338745160?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029218303418
