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You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting.
In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption
in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled
experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's
point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what
make the book revolutionary.
Aristotle observed 2300 years ago that more than anything men and women seek happiness. Csikszentmihalyi (psychology,
Univ. of Chicago) has for 25 years made similar observations regarding "flow," a field of behavioral science examining connections
between satisfaction and daily activities. A flow state ensues when one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related, meaningful
actions. Data regarding flow were collected on thousands of individuals, from mountain climbers to chess players. This thoroughly
researched study is an intriguing look at the age-old problem of the pursuit of happiness and how, through conscious effort,
we may more easily attain it. Recommended for general readers.
- Terry McMaster, Utica Coll. of Syracuse Univ. Lib.,
N.Y .
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p.31 It is attention that selects the relevant bits of information from the potential millions of bits available...
The mark of a person who is in control of consciousness is the ability to focus attention at will, to be
oblivious to distractions, to concentrate for as long as it takes to achieve a goal, and not longer.
p.33 Each person allocates his or her limited attention either by focusing it intentionally
like a beam of energy... or by diffusing it in desultory, random movements. The shape and content of life depend on how attention
has been used. ...Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing
work it is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we invest this energy... it is an energy under our control, to
do with as we please; hence, attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience.
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