Flow relates to the movement of energy at physical, psychic and spiritual levels. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University, defines flow at the psychic level as “the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the activity”. He considers flow as the optimal human experience.

The Killingsworth and Gilbert study (2010) mentioned earlier found that the greatest moments of happiness occur when we are in the present, immersed in the task—in flow. During these times of being fully in the moment, we experience a state of complete contentment. According to an international Gallup survey, between 15% and 20% of adults claim to experience flow every day. Another 60% report being intensely involved in what they do anywhere from once every few months to at least once a week (Csikszentmihalyi, 2004). Studies confirm flow is a universal state across a wide range of activities such as elite and non-elite sport, aesthetic experiences, literary and scholarly writing, creative, and a wide range of social and work activities

Phil Jackson (1995), ex-basketball coach of the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers and winner of six national basketball championships, describes the flow state: “All of us have had flashes of this sense of oneness—making love, creating a work of art—when we’re completely immersed in the moment, inseparable from what we’re doing. This kind of experience happens all the time on the basketball floor; that’s why the game is so intoxicating. But if you’re really paying attention, it can also occur while you’re performing the most mundane tasks.”

Csikszentmihalyi’s studies (1997) have clarified characteristics of the flow state and conditions that help bring it about. He describes the following nine components:

1. A balance of challenging activity and skill
2. Merging of action and awareness
3. Concentration on the task at hand
4. Loss of self-consciousness, a sense of a separate self disappears
5. Altering of time, including time standing still
6. A clear, purposeful goal
7. Unambiguous feedback
8. A sense of both control and spontaneity
9. Autotelic experience: the activity has no purpose other than itself

Research studies have shown the greater time a person spends in flow, the greater self-esteem they experience (Wells, 1988). An investigation into flow in the workplace found that employees experiencing high levels of flow were more flexible and adaptable in the workplace and more likely to seek opportunities for action (Ceja & Navarro, 2011).  A study by Fulgar and Kelloway (2009) showed a significant positive relationship between flow experience and positive mood, and that tasks requiring complex skill, expressing creativity and resolving problems lead to a more frequent experience of flow.

Studies have found that the flow experience has a direct positive impact on job satisfaction, performance, engagement and motivation (Chui & Lee, 2012, Lee, 2004, Bryce & Hayworth, 2002, Bason & Frane, 2004). The Swedish-owned company, Green Cargo, moved from a long history of losing money to a profitable company in 2004, one year after introducing new work practices based on flow principles (Ceja & Navarro, 2017).

Several studies have linked flow to commitment and achievement during high school (Carli, et al, 1988). In studies of two university courses, flow predicted semester end performance (Engeser, et al, 2005).

Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi (2009) state that flow can occur through structuring the external environment and activities that provide challenging, meaningful tasks with clear feedback that match a person’s skills. Csikszentmihalyi (1990), however, indicates that some individuals are less capable of experiencing flow because of their inability to manage their attention. Some are unable to hold attention on one thing because their attention is dispersed and fragmented by external stimuli. Others limit their ability to experience flow because of excessive concentration on one’s self through continual doubt and uncertainty or excessive self-centred preoccupation on personal desires and self-interest. Fragmented, self-conscious or self-interested attention lack sufficient control of psychic energy to enter flow.

Lee (2005) examined the relationships of motivation and flow experience to academic procrastination in 262 Korean undergraduate students and showed that high procrastination was associated with lack of self-determined motivation and low incidence of flow state.

Two studies based on interviews with elite swimmers, showed that optimal performance, or “flow,” states reveal similar characteristics to mindfulness and acceptance states. In flow experiences, the elite swimmers were especially mindful and accepting of their bodily sensations. In the second study, mindfulness, integrated into the skills training program for seven young elite golfers, contributed to performance improvement in competition. Participants improved the efficacy of their routines by getting more relevant internal and external information (Bernier et al, 2009).

Research (Kee & Wang, 2008) into the relationship between mindfulness and flow in student athletes found that athletes in a high mindfulness group scored significantly higher in the flow components of challenge-skill balance, clear goals, concentration, control over their actions, and loss of self-consciousness as compared to athletes in a low mindfulness group.

Csikszentmihalyi (1993) provides an overall summary of the consequences of flow as: greater creativity, peak performance, talent development, improved productivity, greater self-esteem, stress reduction and psycho-therapeutic healing. There is evidence that greater skill in mindfulness improves the likelihood of flow and performance. Yet as Faria (2017) indicates flow and mindfulness have been studied individually and have led to positive outcomes; however, they have yet to be linked in academic research.

In higher education teaching, there is regular reference to flow theory and application in psychology, sport, music and education but currently few university courses or programs are dedicated to flow theory or practice. Most initiatives to teach flow theory and practice come from outside higher education in programs such as Kotler’s Flow Genome Project (2014), and Meloncilli’s (2017) and Marelisa’s (2017) programs.