Flow States
The Neuroscience of Happiness and How to Hack It
What is Flow State?
The flow state can be a truly remarkable experience — that feeling of being totally focused and connected to what you're doing, where time almost stands still and your senses are heightened. It's as if action and awareness synchronize to create an effortless momentum that people describe as being 'in the zone'. Everyone has the ability to access this flow state, whether it's during a physical activity, a creative endeavor or simply a mundane task. The goal of flow state is to create a perfect balance between “relaxation” and “focus,” which means when your body is in flow state, it can generate just enough arousal from the sympathetic system to focus, while simultaneously engaging your parasympathetic system so that you feel relaxed and restored.
Where did Flow Come From?
The term was coined by the “Father of Flow” Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist in the field of Positive Psychology, of which he is a co-founder. In his research, Csikszentmiihalyi was driven to understand the neurological science of optimum human experience and what exactly makes a person truly happy. The people who were interviewed in Csikszentmihalyi’s research on flow each excel in a variety of different areas — from dancing to chess, mountain climbing, and surgery. The common thread? They’re all high-performing individuals who took on career paths that were challenging and rewarding to them. Throughout his research, Csikszentmiihalyi uncovered another common thread, they all described that feeling of pure euphoria when engaged in their skill as “flowing” out of them. There was no conscious step between thought to action, it was unified. Thus, the concept of the Flow State was born. Csikszentmiihalyi went on to write a seminal book on the topic, “Flow; the Classic Work of How to Achieve Happiness”. Many other researchers have pushed the field of study into Flow State, namely Steven Kotler, by studying the brains of those in flow via MRI machines.
Benefits of the Flow State
According to the mindfulness app Headspace, here are a list of benefits brought on by flow:
1.Heavy sense of concentration. Being able to focus on the work without getting distracted leads to a higher output of higher quality work.
2. Sense of clarity. In a state of flow, your body and mind will know what needs to be done without having to think about it.
3. Lack of obstacles. The thoughts and feelings that generally cloud our minds, such as stress, worry, and self-doubt, take a back seat when we achieve a flow state.
4. Good feelings. Being in a deep flow state is often described as an intrinsically positive experience. There is no superficiality driving this force, it’s just the pleasure that comes with being in the moment and doing something that you are passionate about.\
5. Happiness. The type of happiness one can gain from being in a flow state goes beyond a temporary high — it is a general sense of well-being and a lasting sense of happiness and fulfillment.
How Flowly Utilizes Flow State
Traditional wellness programs focus on “me time”. Taking time out of your day to relax. As much as that is a desirable goal, for many it feels like an unrealistic pipedream. And worse, many feel that taking time off to relax may interfere with their momentum, their sense of urgency that being in a stressed state provides them. Output. But here is the issue with that perspective, the work being produced while the mind is in a constant state of survival, is not efficient. It can take twice as long to complete a mental task when cortisol levels are high, rather than when they are low and your mind is in a state of balance. This is exactly what sets Flowly apart from other wellness programs. By encouraging you to reset your nervous system, you can transform your “busy work hours” into a flow state. Your work, your daily mundane tasks and chores, can all contribute to a healthy mental state and feeling of balance throughout your whole day. Rather than burning the candle at both ends, you can learn to feel fueled by your daily tasks. Suddenly, that lavender-scented bubble bath and glass of wine is no longer needed to “unwind” from your day, because your day is rewarding, gratifying and brings you happiness.
How Flow Can Re-Wire the Nervous System.
The science author Steven Kotler was inspired to deep-dive into the field of positive psychology and flow state research because he himself was healed by its effects. Kotler had been diagnosed with Lymes Disease and after three years, his condition was dire. He was bed-ridden, with poor muscle function and energy, he was deeply depressed and suicidal. Nothing was improving his condition and medical treatment had failed him. Feeling helpless, his days were spent indoors. Until one day, a friend had come around and insisted they get out of the house to go surfing. Kotler, a former surf enthusiast, was intrigued by the idea but didn’t see how it would be rational since he struggled to walk, let alone surf. His friend persuaded him into the car, then onto his board. It was a very calm day and few surfers were out due to the low waves. As a small wave approached, suddenly Kotler’s muscle memory kicked in, and he popped up on his board! The sense of euphoria filled his mind and body. Nothing ached, time and space collapsed, and for a brief moment he lost his sense of self. The next day he was in a lot of pain and it took him two weeks to recover from that voyage. But as soon as he was able, he was on his surfboard again. What he discovered was that he was getting better from his illness. This “treatment” continued for around 6-8 months, having “mystical experiences” that he now characterizes as flow states. He went from 10% functionality to 80% functionality. The healing elements of the flow state had to do with resetting his nervous system. An auto-immune condition is essentially the nervous system gone haywire. These flow state experiences initiated a global release of nitric oxide that flows almost everywhere in the body. What this molecule does is flush all the stress hormones out of the body to reset the nervous system.This behaved like a “neural map” for a body that had the nervous system gone haywire. It was a total body reset.
How Do You Know If You’re in Flow?
Csikszentmihalyi notes that "the best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times; rather, the best moments usually occur when a person voluntarily pushes their body or mind to its limits to complete a difficult and meaningful task." Thus, achieving flow state requires intense concentration and engagement. The following list describes the Eight characteristics of Flow State according to the research by Csikszentmihalyi:
1.Complete concentration on the task;
2.Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback;
3.Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down);
4.The experience is intrinsically rewarding;
5.Effortlessness and ease;
6,There is a balance between challenge and skills;
7.Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination;
8.There is a feeling of control over the task.
From a neuroscientific perspective, what is happening in the brain is similar to that of a runner’s high. A unique mix of performance-enhancing neurochemicals which consist of norepinephrine, dopamine, anandamide, serotonin, and endorphins surge through our brain and are amplified by Theta and Gamma brain waves (Kotler, 2014).
It’s important to note that there are also varying degrees of flow. A small child learning to walk and discover the world is constantly in a state of flow, as everyday she masters small challenges, from using a utensil to walking. One can be in a mini state of flow, for example while calmly watching a movie. This is called passive flow. The extreme side of flow, called Macro flow, can be experienced during an extreme sport for example. This is much more intense and has been said to have a mystical feeling. In this state, the prefrontal cortex part of the brain that controls decision making, consciousness, criticism etc., is slowed down and the autonomic part of the brain takes over. What’s key for this to happen is laser focus on the present moment.
Flow State Triggers to Add to your Daily Life
Steven Kotler and other scientists have developed a working list of 10 different triggers that will induce a flow state.
1. Action and Awareness Merge. The doer and the doing become one. From the perspective of consciousness, we become the action. In other words, actions feel automatic and require little or no additional resources.
2. Selflessness. Our sense of self disappears. Our sense of self-consciousness as well. The inner critic is silenced.
3. Timelessness. We experience an altered perception of time. Past and future disappear and we are plunged into an eternal present, a deep now.
4. Effortlessness. Our sense of struggle and strife vanishes. The experience becomes intrinsically-rewarding or—in technical parlance—“autotelic.”
5. Paradox of Control. We have a powerful sense of control over the situation. We are captain of our own ship; master of this small slice of destiny.
6. Intrinsic Motivation. The experience is intrinsically motivating. We do it for love not money. We do it because the activity itself is so incredibly enthralling that it’s its own reward.
7. Intense Concentration. More specifically, intense concentration on a limited field of information. Total focus on the right here, right now. Complete absorption in the present moment.
8. Challenge/Skills Balance. The challenge of the task at hand slightly exceeds our skill set so we have to push ourselves outside our comfort zone. But not too far outside. We have to stretch, not snap.
9. Clear Goals. These are not big goals (like winning the Olympics in downhill skiing), rather they are much smaller chunks (like getting out of the starting gate fast). What’s critical is we know what we’re doing now and we know what we’re doing next so attention can stay focused in the present.
10. Immediate Feedback. The gap between cause and effect is tiny—so we can always course-correct mid-flight.
The Flow Cycle
According to Steven Kotler, there are phases in which we enter the flow state and in which we leave it. The state of flow is an intersection of optimal being and optimal doing.
But we can’t be in the state of flow all the time. The cycle of this optimal human experience has four phases that initially require that we step out of our comfort zone and challenge our sense of self.
Adapted from Kotler 2014
Struggle Phase (Beta brain waves, Cortisol, Norepinephrine) does not feel good as we experience tension, frustration and even stress and anxiety but it is an integral element of the flow cycle.
Release Phase (Alpha brain waves) is when we accept the challenge by stepping away from the problem and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Flow Phase (Theta and Gamma brain waves, Dopamine, Endorphins, Anandamide) comes after release and shifts us from conscious to subconscious processing.
Recovery Phase (Delta brain waves, Serotonin, Oxytocin) is the final stage when our brain rewires and stores the experience of flow. It is crucial to re-build and re-balance effectively if we are to retain the newly acquired skills and knowledge during this memory consolidation phase (Kotler, 2014).
Flow states are an excellent way to tap into your own capacity for laser-focus, creativity, balance, joy and happiness. It not only helps to reset the nervous system and send messages of safety (rather than survival) but the more you do it, the easier it is to do. The restorative nature of flow states can have long-term effects that are much longer lasting than a bubble bath or day at the spa. The best thing about flow state is that there are countless ways of tapping into it, so finding ways that suit your own interests is the key. To learn more about Flow State triggers and how to easily tap into it on a daily basis, join the Flowly Program !
Want to learn more about Flow State Triggers and how you can enter into flow easily at work and at home, every day?
Resources:
https://uspainfoundation.org/news/how-flow-state-and-the-nervous-system-interact/
https://www.headspace.com/articles/flow-state
Kotler, Steven, “The Rise of Superman” 2014
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Human Experience” 1990
