The Curious Connection Between Flow and Happiness
- The Flow Channel
- Apr 18, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: May 9, 2021
The Holy Grail of the human condition is Happiness. We all want to know how to “find” it. We think that passion and purpose are keys to it, but as we parcel our attention out in a hundred directions in an increasingly chaotic world, what energy is left for passion or purpose? As Viktor Frankl reminded the world, “The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it.”
As it turns out, building a life for happiness and meaning takes far less energy than randomly searching for it. Through authentic experience, focused attention, and encounters with challenge, we can prove to ourselves what we are capable of, what matters to us, what engages us and makes us feel most alive. Click the link below to hear "Finding Happiness and Achieving Flow," a conversation with
Gary Gute, PhD, co-founder of TheFlowChannel.com with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Associate Professor of Applied Human Sciences at the University of Northern Iowa. Gary researches flow and creativity and teaches the courses Creativity and the Evolution of Culture and Foundations of Positive Psychology, and the MBA course Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning.
Benjamin Hunnicutt, PhD, professor of health and human physiology, University of Iowa. Ben teaches a course called Happiness for Health, has written for The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and the Huffington Post, and is the author of The Age of Experiences: Harnessing Happiness to Build a New Economy (2020).
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I value the message that searching externally won't find what's purposeful to us and what we're passionate about. Instead it's found in the actions we take and experiences we've lived through, things that you facilitate yourself. That's not something social media will show you even if, as stated, you're searching for it.
I really appreciate this post because it captured how flow fuels authentic happiness. It doesn't always come easy, but mostly when we are deeply engaged in activities. It’s a reminder that joy often comes when we’re dedicated and fully living in the moment.
This is a great post in many ways. The primary goal for many is to lead a happy and healthy life. This is a great reminder to put yourself in situations that challenge you and help you grow. Doing that with full effort and attention results in what one may describe as a happy life.
Great post. Humans are always searching for happiness. Entering that state of mind where our attention isn't running in circles and we can fully engage with an activity feels harder to do these days. Finding that one thing you can get lost in is a gift not to be taken for granted.
This was such a good reminder everyone strives for this happiness in life. "the more you aim for it the more we miss it" This gave me the reminded to be in the moment and what is meant to bring us happiness will come to us. Happiness happens by the things we do the people we are with so really taking the time to take those moments in when we have them