Flow (psychology)

Flow is a state of deep absorption in an activity, marked by focused attention and a close fit between perceived demands and skills.

Challenge-skill balance: A perceived match between the demands of an activity and a person's abilities. A fitting level of difficulty helps sustain absorption without boredom or anxiety.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: A Hungarian-American psychologist known for developing and researching the concept of flow. His interviews and studies established flow as a psychological research topic.
Game design: The design of rules, challenges, feedback, and interactions in games. Games can use escalating challenges and immediate feedback to support sustained engagement.
Boredom: An unpleasant state of low engagement associated with insufficiently stimulating activity. When demands fall below perceived skills, absorption may give way to boredom.
Clear goals: Objectives that make the intended outcome of an action understandable. Immediate aims help organize attention around what to do next.
Experience Sampling Method: A research method that prompts participants to report their experiences in everyday settings. Csikszentmihalyi used momentary reports to study when flow occurred in daily life.
Deliberate practice: Structured practice aimed at improving specific skills through effortful repetition and feedback. Flow can make demanding practice absorbing, while practice develops skills for harder challenges.
Anxiety: A state of apprehension involving anticipation of possible threat or failure. Demands that seem to exceed a person's skills can produce anxiety rather than flow.
Feedback: Information about the effects or quality of an action. Direct signals let people adjust performance while the activity continues.
Autotelic personality: A personality orientation toward pursuing activities for their inherent enjoyment. This idea describes individual differences in entering and sustaining flow.

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