Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience

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Summary: THE FLOW NETWORK
Review: Take steps towards enhancing the quality of your life - explore FlowNet and exchange ideas and experiences associated with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory @ http://www.flownetwork.com

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Summary: Concisely and clearly illuminates how our minds operate.
Review: This is an extraordinary book. The author's writing style is unusually concise and he is able to explain complex ideas in a simple and understandable style. The concept of flow is intuitively very appealing. The author conducted an apparently well structured empirical study of the causes and conditions that resulted in "optimal experience" (ie happiness) and reached some insightful and convincing conclusions. The ability to achieve "optimal experience" is tightly linked to the ability to focus on fulfilling personally determined goals. Although the book is useful as a personal blueprint for achieving "optimal experience" I found more facinating his compelling arguments about the functioning of the human mind and spirit

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Summary: .Eastern secret of Moderation defined scientifically
Review: Of the hundreds of psychology, new age, or self help books that we have to choose from, FLOW is of the few that is absolutely a Must. It defines that which we all seek from birth to death: HAPPINESS. It defines what makes happiness, why we feel it, and why we do not. And when I applied the author's theories in my own life, I did indeed find that what he wrote is rare and precious truth.

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Summary: Definitely first-rate!
Review: The author explains the flow state as that period when the task at hand is challenging enough to totally engage us, rescuing us from boredom, but not so challenging that we fail, frustration setting in. Between the two extremes of boredom (too easy) and frustration (too hard) we find the flow channel -- blissful execution, seemingly effortless progress, and an overall feeling of happiness. The author goes on to explain learning as excursions out of the flow channel -- becoming too comfortable (bored) so that we seek harder challenges, or seeking more skills so that we can overcome the frustration of failing at difficult tasks. Hence all learning is seen as driving us back into the flow channel from either above or below. There is even a beautiful graph to illustrate the process. This book gives you a new way of looking at the world, and makes you wonder why we all can't spend more time in the channel being happier. Read it

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Summary: Surfing the Slipstream of Sanctity
Review: Flow cascades with liberating insight on how to derive real enjoyment moment-by-moment and taste the true richness of living. Csikszentmihalyi's (pronounced chick-sent-me-high) intelligence tuned my worldview to the positive flux of a pleasurable state of mind marked by concentration and deep satisfaction. With this keen manual for optimal existence, I now set "autotelic" challenges via an action system that accentuates the ebb between being and becoming. The rewards are powerful; a contented context - a connecting order that illuminates meaning and the potential to transform the entirety of life into a single flow activity that provides constant evolutionary purpose. An essential emanation for the idea generation. **** Mark Riv

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Summary: Not a "quick fix", a scientific approach to a better life.
Review: This is an outstanding, well-researched, easy-to-read guide to transcending the limits of joy typically imposed by materialism, class, religion, behaviorism, and self-doubt. Great approach to integrating success in work, love, life; not about finding a trick. It is a tool (not a morality) to increase attention, which provides focus to build skills, which increases the ability to solve tasks of greater complexity, which leads to richer & fuller lives (social, personal, mental, etc.). Not hot air--backed by research

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Summary: Important physiologic findings.
Review: The author's findings might well be taken into consideration by virtual reality and video game developers, since "flow" is a neurophysiologic event which may be potentiated by external stimuli. Flow is about being fully engaged - which can result in happiness, but more important, satisfaction, fulfillment, self-realization

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Summary: An excellent treatise on happiness.
Review: The optimal flow model is an excellent conceptualization of our search for happiness. However, the exemplars of this model include the Nazi war criminal Eichmann, which made me question mine and the author's notion of happiness

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Summary: Even better than evolving self
Review: I read Evolving Self and thought that was a wonderful book. Flow is even better. Great books, especially Flow.

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Summary: Even better than evolving self
Review: I read Evolving Self and thought that was a wonderful book. Flow is even better. Great books, especially Flow. Highly recommended.