Creativity, Flow and the Source of Happiness

Speaking at the TED Conference, famed psychologist Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks what’s the source of happiness? And his answer comes down to this: Beyond a certain point (and it’s not very far), money doesn’t affect happiness too much. Rather, as his research shows, we tend to be most happy when we get immersed, almost lost in, being creative and performing at our best. It’s an ecstatic state that he calls “flow.” The video runs about 19 minutes, and is well worth your time. Some book titles worth checking out include: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience or Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life.

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by Dan Colman | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Comments (2)
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  1. Jaime says . . . | November 18, 2008 / 7:08 am

    I think you are only truly happy when you are following Jehovah God.

  2. John Pearce says . . . | February 2, 2009 / 3:38 am

    As for Jehova God – I think it is much more (maybe but not necessairily also) about self-realisation, action to improve yourself and most importantly creativity in helping us all develop joy in our interdependence – the true flow?

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    Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best educational media. He finds the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & movies you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.

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