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Flow State: a Good Addiction

Have you ever been so immersed in the now that you lost track of time? Then, you might have experienced the flow state. Would you like to recreate it? Do you know how? Did you know that it can be addictive?

Life in the here and now

Almost everyone knows this feeling: a mountain hike to a fabulous viewpoint, an exciting book in your area of interest, a captivating melody on the guitar or piano, pursuing your hobby — these or similar activities trigger something wonderful in people — the so-called flow state. When you’re in it, all other thoughts take a back seat and your concentration is directed only to the activity carried out at the moment.

Finding the sweet spot

Flow can occur whenever you manage to keep the difficulty level of a task between too hard and too easy, in other words, between overwhelm and boredom. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer has long said that happiness is nothing more than the absence of boredom.

girl reading in flow state

If we look at the example of the book in the introduction, it’s now easy to recognize that a book that would cause someone to get into the flow state would be one that isn’t too complex, belongs to one of the fields of interest of the reader and offers just the right amount of new information.

Reaching such a state can trigger a feeling of happiness. Therefore, it is very important for every single person to find out what gives them pleasure and what does not. Those who have never felt this feeling before should not be afraid to try out a number of new things until you experience it.

If you do not enjoy the activities you do over a longer period of time, it is important to do something new and strive for change. What can be said is that the flow is caused by intrinsic motivation factors rather than extrinsic ones. That means that we do a certain activity because of the activity itself (because it gives us pleasure) and do not do the activity because of positive reinforcement (more money, better status, etc…)

Flow as a “success drug”

The happiness researcher Mihály Csíkszentmihályi even describes the flow as a positive addiction. However, since the term “addiction” is commonly associated with something negative, the term “high motivation” or “passion” should rather be used in connection with this natural high.

girl painting in flow state

However, the flow state can cause more than happiness: a study showed that people used to being in the flow state regularly and stopped for some time showed withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nervousness, tiredness and lack of drive.

Still, you have much more to gain from it than to fear. Imagine how much you could achieve if you were able to work in this state! Each individual — whether a sugar baby or a sugar daddy — has the potential to create something great that will cause a positive, long-lasting impact on society.

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