Abstract

Researchers describe flow as the feeling when someone loses track of time because they are so immersed in an activity that they experience a sense of abandonment. The father of flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a well-published author of multiple works in positive psychology, developed the term flow based on his observational studies of artists and performers. Flow positively correlates with intrinsic motivation as a person in a flow state aligns their skill with a challenge. Flow state does not consider time and must be a positive experience. Studies about flow state extend beyond creative works and made their way into sleep studies. Flow also has a role in sports psychology, where the term clutch describes a state when skill meets a challenge under pressure. An electroencephalogram (EEG) measures flow by producing images of brain waves that help researchers confirm that flow occurred. An EEG with 32 probes rather than fewer numbers enables researchers to localize activity in the brain correctly.