Most people find it fulfilling to perform at peak without worrying about the past or future-operating from a place sometimes called the “deep now.” What's more, research indicates that people who spend more time in flow score higher on life satisfaction questionnaires, and there's no mystery as to why: It's fun to lose yourself in a task, particularly one you find both challenging and enjoyable. Certain parts of the brain activate in flow, and others-like the self-conscious and judgment-oriented prefrontal cortex-quiet down.Ī 10-year study by McKinsey & Company found that executives operating in flow are 500% more productive, while the Department of Defense has found that soldiers learn 230% faster when in flow.
In flow, brain waves hover between the alpha and theta frequencies.
Since then, neuroimaging has made it easier to identify by showing the release of five neurochemicals: dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins and anandamide. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist, began studying the flow state in the 1970s. While flow may sound subjective-or even New Age-y-it is in fact a technical term. It's also trainable-meaning that you can get into flow more often, and stay there longer, by learning the behaviors and triggers that go along with it. It's described as a spectrum: “microflow” is easier to achieve but less engrossing, while “macroflow” can be transcendent and life-changing. Sometimes flow arises spontaneously, and other times people go far out of their way to cultivate it.
And some consumers say that cannabis is key to getting there. People call “flow” by different names: in the zone, runner’s high, the forever box.īut whatever you call it-and however you get there-being in flow means you're performing at or close to physical and mental peak, creativity is off the charts, time passes differently and decision-making is optimal. Others may access it at a slower pace while on the yoga mat or meandering on a hiking trail. Some people reach the “flow state” when focusing intently on making art or music, or while engaged in vigorous sports, competition or performance. If you’ve ever been so immersed in a task that hours have slipped by unnoticed, you’ve experienced flow.
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