MASTERPIECE ESSAY #1

     Over the course of the last few weeks, I've been looking into, essentially, human pleasure and happiness. I began with the question "how are physical processes able to have such a profound effect on our moods/emotions (i.e. being 'moved' by art or music, or being elevated to an almost euphoric state while performing a favorite activity)?" and I managed to find some decent resources describing which factors shape the emotional connection we feel with music and art, how those emotions can lead to physical pleasure, why we like the things that we like in general, etc. While such information is, at least in my opinion, incredibly interesting, it is also a bit static and ineffectual. What I mean by this is that, as far as I see, there is no way to manipulate that sort of information such that it can produce a real effect on a person's life. Knowing which characteristics cause your favorite song to appeal to you isn't going to make that song sound any better, nor any worse. The presence of those characteristics is what generates the effect--the knowledge of them does effectively nothing.

     I have been researching another subtopic, however, that not only ties in perfectly with my initial inquiry, but that also possesses infinitely more practical value: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow. Csikszentmihalyi asserts that, under proper conditions, a person may enter a state marked by complete and total focus and immersion, a distorted perception of time, intrinsic motivation, greatly increased performance, intense feelings of reward and pleasure, and an unusual lack of self-awareness. Aptly named "flow", this state is thought to be the pinnacle of human experience, and an important ingredient in long-term happiness. So, what can we do individually to more frequently attain flow and reap its numerous benefits? I will outline optimal flow conditions and provide some tips for emplacing them as I attempt to apply my research in a practical way.

     There are a few conditions that must be met in order for flow to ensue. First is what I'll call the challenge:skill ratio. In order for a person to experience flow, he/she must be performing a task that requires roughly the same amount of skill that he/she possesses. Disproportionately high levels of challenge will skew the experience towards anxiety and disproportionately high levels of skill will skew the experience towards boredom or relaxation; the ratio must be kept as close to 1:1 as possible. An excellent graph illustrating this relationship between skill and challenge can be found on page 74 of Csikszentmihalyi's book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Next, a clearly defined and motivating goal must be present. A person must know exactly what it is that he/she has to do, and he/she also must perceive a reward or incentive. If a person is unsure exactly what he/she is doing or why he/she is doing it, flow is extremely unlikely. It then follows that, based on the aforementioned conditions, one may give him/herself the best chances of reaching the flow state by attacking a challenging yet attainable goal, working consistently to complete that goal, working in a somewhat secluded place with as few distractions as possible in order to preserve focus, and assigning enough value to the task at hand that it becomes self-motivating.

     Looking back at part of my original question, "being elevated to an almost euphoric state while performing a favorite activity", it appears that flow theory provides a sizable portion of the answer. The inherent pleasure and satisfaction that flow entails is likely what gives athletes, artists/musicians, skilled professionals, and others the incomparable feeling of being "in the zone". Not only is flow a source of enjoyment in and of itself, but it also exponentially increases productivity, and has been shown to lead to a steady increase in long-term happiness. So, next time you set out to complete a task, overcome a challenge, fulfill a goal, or even partake in a hobby, analyze your circumstances and make sure that they are as conducive to flow as possible--it is too powerful of a resource not to take advantage of.