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).
©TheFlowChannel.com. All rights reserved.
I like how this post emphasizes making sure that you are regularly trying to find things that challenge you so that when you accomplish it, you feel happy. It is also easier to reach a state of flow if you are attentive to what you are doing, and if that activity is challenging you so that you can't just coast through it. We can create our own authentic experiences by figuring out what makes us feel meaning in our lives.
This post emphasizes that everyone is capable of happiness through meaningful involvement in things we enjoy. The message tells us that happiness is all around us and that finding it takes less energy than we think. This is powerful for others to hear, showing them that seeking happiness won't work; instead, we should create more experiences that have purpose and value in our lives.
The message does a great job emphasizing that happiness is not something one can pursue; it is a natural consequence of a deep involvement with something meaningful, like activities. What I took away from this article is that real happiness can actually be considered a state of flow. When our attention and energy are fully involved in something that matters, we don't have time to feel unhappy. Rather than pursuing happiness, we should create situations that foster authentic experiences and a sense of purpose through focus and engagement. It reminds me of those moments when fulfillment comes in when one stops chasing it and starts living intentionally.
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.