Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (P.S.),   ISBN:9780061339202

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I haven't had many experiences like it: reading Flow is like banging a wildebeest on speed. I'm sorry, I wasn't clear there: the wildebeest is the one who's on speed. You're on heroin. And wooo baby, that is one of the wildest rides you can take because wildebeests are such gorgeous creatures but even getting near one is pure Colombian danger. So once you're up in that wildebeest and that sweet `n' savory musk hits your brain, and all you can do is close your eyes and feel that king of the jungle pride wash over you, a warm feeling fills your stomach and melts up your face and you feel at once completely powerful and utterly peaceful, and you think wow, buttbanging this savannah cow is allowing you to see God. But no, that's actually more of the heroin kicking in.

It's like being brainbanged by an angel. A beautiful, big busted angel with whatever eye and hair color you like, but I'm sorry women and gays, it's a girl angel for everyone, stop complaining and for a second step back and have the humility to see that most people never get to share an intimate moment with any angel at all, and be grateful, because she's going all out, scissoring your frontal lobe and motorboating your cerebellum, eating out all your cortex folds with the fervor of an athletic latina coed who's eight smirnoffs in and having the time of her life and you don't know how the two of you ended up on top of each other on the upstairs couch, writhing and semi conscious and with tongues of purposeful passion and who really cares how it started let's just finish it let's just OHHHHHHHHHH I HOPE OUR SORORITY PRESIDENT DOESN'T SMELL ALL THE JALEPENO POPPERS AND SNIFF HER WAY IN HERE

And as you just close your eyes and thank your lucky nuts that you found this book, and that you were brainbanged by a metaphorical angel and dickbanged by a metaphorical gnu butt, you have one final realization. And then that, too, recedes into the second wave of heroin.

Customer Rating: 

The title is a bit misleading, as flow does not describe "optimal experience", but simply genuine experience where the subject is just one with the experience. It is true that this is also some kind of "optimal way" to experience life, but by no means can one so easily optimize it. So now, the book won't help you get into those kind of experiences. However, it gives some insight into how simple it is to get into that, when you really love what you do and forget about everybody else when you do it.

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Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (known as `Mike' and for the record his family name is pronounced "cheek-sent-me-high-ee", His name comes from "Saint Michael from the province of Csik," Csik being originally a Hungarian province) is one of the world's leading researchers on Positive Psychology. The author of numerous books and published papers, Flow is recognized as his most influential book and has had a far reaching impact, selling millions of copies, and used extensively in academia, business, sports, psychology and life coaching.

Flow integrates research on consciousness, personal psychology, and spirituality to;

"Present general principles along with concrete examples of how some people have used these principles, to transform boring and meaningless lives into ones full of enjoyment."

Our Professor describes his work as the effort "to study what makes people truly happy." The emphasis here is on the word "truly"--because to him, happiness is not simply an emotional state. The happiness he points to involves the continual challenge to go beyond oneself as part of something greater than one's own self-interest.

Mihaly acknowledges throughout that Flow research is deep rooted in Ancient Wisdom starting with Aristotle's the good life. Aristotle's model of the good life is `Eudaimonia', "the state of being well and doing well," often translated as meaning `happiness'. The Taoist philosophy of `doing without doing', Yogi traditions, Jesuit teachings, heavy reliance on Stoic and more recent philosophy and his own extensive scientific research of which he documents many examples, including in the notes section reference to a `pot pourri' of high achievers.

We are introduced to how the principles of Flow can help us overcome external influences by so doing this also positively impacts, first of all ourselves, and then our experiences with close "Full" interpersonal relationships, good health, wisdom, awe, maturity, charity, moral development, self-control, purposeful striving, creativity, and professional accomplishments. Mihaly indicates;

"The reality is that the quality of life does not depend directly on what others think of us or on what we own. The bottom line is, rather, how we feel about ourselves and about what happens to us. To improve life one must improve the quality of experience." "To gain personal control over the quality of experience, however, one needs to learn how to build enjoyment into what happens, day in, day out."

So just like Krishnamurti tells us, "We must open the door ourselves" Mihaly reminds us that the impediments to Flow are located within the individual or "the roots of discontent are internal" and each individual "must untangle them personally, with his or her own power."

to our Professor teach us how "whenever the goal is improve the quality of life, the flow theory can point the way" and like some people, we can also have a "good time standing at a bus stop" or "waiting in a dentist's office" and live a happy life. A magnificent Book.

Customer Rating: 

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience is an excellent read. When I first got this book, I had no idea what it was about. I figured that it would be a look into psychological ideals and I was about half correct. The book ended up being more of a self help book; a way to make one's life better and deeper. The idea of Optimal Experience is a hard one to envision, but after reading the book I definitely understand more about myself and my own life. The book is one that turns inspection inward and causes the reader to take stock of how he/she works in this world. Ideas expressed in the book include how to achieve happiness at work and within all things in one's life. If I had to sum the whole thing up in a few words, I would say that it is a book about how to be happy. It uses several psychological studies to prove just how happiness can be achieved. This may end up being a self help book, but it does not give a step by step formula for how to achieve happiness. It simply lays the ground work for the reader to take control and find happiness on their own. I found that I could relate to a lot of the topics that were covered, and that the more a read, the more I understood about myself. The book itself is well written, though it can be a little up tight at times. It was a slow read for me because of the volume of information that it contains. One has to read it slowly and pay attention, or he/she will miss out on some of the main points. It is difficult at times to follow what Csikszentmihalyi is saying, but after re-reading certain parts I came to understand. I read this book for a college course, and I am glad that I did. It focuses on ideas that can help a person better themselves and those around them. I believe everyone should read this book at least once in their lifetime, even out of pure boredom.As the book states, It offers steps toward enhancing the quality of life, and everyone should have the chance to improve something about themselves.

Customer Rating: 

This book is near impossible to read. It has:
- bad flow
- is hard to follow
- is sporadic hence unable to hold attention and
- doesn't make any points very clear at all.

Throughout the entire book it seems to simply "state" things, theories, without adding much value or making the theories very practical at all. The book just prattles on and on about "things". It's a book of statements!

Ironically, you really only need to read 1 page of this book - the page with the "Flow" diagram summed up the whole book. I can summarise it like this: "To be in flow, ensure your skill level and challenge level go up in tandem". That's it!

This is the problem with academic journals trying to "cross-over" into popular business bestseller territory. It's padded out to fill a book when it doesn't need to. It still reads like an academic journal i.e. not for public consumption, so shouldn't be sold as such. Perhaps it would be a more effective book with just 1/4 of the pages? Admittedly, it's not easy for any researcher to turn their academic works into a "cross-over" sensation as a popular business bestseller. Successful books that come to mind are "In Search of Excellence" and "Built to Last" / "Good to Great".

FLOW could've been a better book, but as it stands, it is of too little practical value to be a good read.