Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi PhD - Running Flow

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, author. | Latter, Philip, 1981- author. |

Duranso, Christine Weinkauff, 1965- author.

Title: Running flow / Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD; Philip Latter, Christine

Weinkauff Duranso.

Description: Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics, [2017] | Includes

bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016049246 (print) | LCCN 2016057207 (ebook) | ISBN

9781492535720 (print) | ISBN 9781492548928 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Running--Psychological aspects. | Runners

(Sports)--Psychology. | Happiness.

Classification: LCC GV1061.8.P75 C75 2017 (print) | LCC GV1061.8.P75 (ebook)

| DDC 796.4201/9--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov_2016049246

ISBN: 978-1-4925-3572-0 (print)

Copyright 2017 by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Philip Latter, and Christine Weinkauff Duranso

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This publication is written and published to provide accurate and authoritative information relevant to the subject matter presented. It is published and sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, medical, or other professional services by reason of their authorship or publication of this work. If medical or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

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Think about your most cherished running memory. Perhaps it was a race where you met a difficult challenge head on, where your mind and body were so completely tuned in that running your fastest time felt effortless. Maybe it happened while jogging through a beautiful landscape, a place so tranquil that your usually unruly mind couldnt help but shut off, allowing you to enjoy the simple pleasures of moving through the environment. You may have felt this same sense of engagement while conversing with your friends on a long run, a journey where 2 hours felt like 20 minutes.

Those moments are called flow moments, and they are usually among the most memorable and fulfilling in peoples lives. Flow refers to an optimal experience during which the mind and body work harmoniously while honed in on a specific task. Flow is often associated with peak performance. When you are in a state of flow, you have no distractions, no deadlines, no querulous spouses to please, and no outside expectations to live up to. You simply have the present moment; in that moment, the pleasure comes from the act itself.

Flow may sound like a mysterious, ephemeral experience, but in truth it is a highly researched psychological phenomenon. Coauthor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced ME-high CHEEK-sent-me-high and hereafter referred to by the moniker Dr. Mike) first identified flow in the 1970s. Over the past 40 years, hundreds of researchers have studied this phenomenon. Their work generally leads to this conclusion: People who regularly experience flow have happier, more fulfilling lives.

Anyone can experience flow by chance, but cultivating those experiences and benefiting from them requires knowledge and practice. Runners are fortunate because the sport offers numerous opportunities to experience flow. Racing allows competitive athletes to set goals, increase their skill level, and constantly challenge themselves to be better than they were the day before. Everyday runs offer plenty of challenges, too, making flow equally accessible to recreational and fitness runners. When you set goals and surmount challenges, such as running farther in the woods than before or staying in the moment while jogging along a busy bike path, you give yourself the best chance to experience flow.

The goal of Running Flow is to give you the knowledge necessary to experience flow on a regular basis. When you understand the variables that set the stage for flow, you can increase the likelihood of experiencing flow and living a happier, more fulfilling life. Flow experiences often coincide with personal bests and major achievements, making it a wonderful (and legal!) performance enhancer.

That said, no magic formula exists for creating flow. You cannot conjure it up by following a recipe or rigidly adhering to a series of steps. Although certain conditions must be present for flow to occur, their presence does not guarantee that flow will occur. Getting your body and mind in the proper place to achieve flow takes time and effort, which may explain why flow is not a fad. Its unpredictability makes it a hard sell to those seeking a magic bullet or step-by-step program.

Although you cannot conjure flow, you can nurture it. A significant amount of research over the past decade has helped us understand the antecedents that lead to flow, the flow experience itself, and its residual benefits. Functional MRI and CT scan technology, when combined with more basic questionnaires and personality assessment tools, have increased our understanding of who experiences flow most often, the brains role in this process, and how it might improve quality of life.

All this talk can ring hollow if flow remains an abstract construct. For that reason part I of RunningFlow focuses on the experience itself. Chapter 1 takes you deep into the flow experience of a relatable runner to illuminate what makes it unique and powerful. Chapter 2 builds on this concept by exploring the nine components of flow. Components of flow include your perceived skill level matching the challenge at hand (