Happiness Isn't a Beach. It's a Flow State.

What do you think will make you happy? Is it lounging on a beach, sipping on an umbrella drink? Is it never ever having to type another email? Maybe it’s a day spent in sweatpants, with a giant mug of coffee and your favorite binge worthy TV? Wrong on all counts. According to research, it’s “Flow State” that’ll make you happy. There have been actual studies, including some from psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (and can I just express how happy I am that his name has never popped up in a script—Holy CATS!).

He researched "flow” and found that people are happier when they’re deeply engaged in a challenging activity that’s not quite frustrating, but does require concentration. 

Yeah. Happier than when they’re living a life of leisure, with no demands whatsoever. You’ve achieved Flow State when:

• Your challenge is moderate. Not too easy, not too hard.

• The goal is clear.

• Feedback is immediate.

• You become so absorbed that you lose track of time.
  

This could be:

• Training a dog for a new obedience title, like me.

• Learning a difficult piece of music.

• Building furniture.

• Gardening.

• Solving a complex problem at work.
  

I know…I hear you…”But Barb, I can be pretty dang happy sitting in a fishing boat on a lake.” But hear me out because there’s more research that supports this.

Have you heard of the “Progress Principle”? I got this one from optimism guru, Simon Sinek. See, he doesn’t think we actually get the most satisfaction from reaching a goal. What he believes is that we get little dopamine hits from the minor successes that build up to the big win. And once we achieve the win, we’re less happy because there’s nothing giving us dopamine. So, we go find another goal.

Our to-do list isn't so long just because there’s so much to do. In part, we need the satisfaction from ticking accomplishments off our list. After a time of doing nothing, you may feel rested but your mind doesn’t like being fully disengaged. It’ll yearn for some task to conquer. That’s part of why retirees either are active and engaged, or wither away in an easy chair. You're better served spending more time in a flow state, getting little dopamine boosts along the way. I’m getting ready to head off to another night of dog training, and though it’s been a bear of a day, I’m energized, resilient, excited! I’ve been working with Friday on some complicated backup, turn, backup again that she’s finally getting. Tonight could be the night she nails it! So, yeah, Goldilocks, occasionally take a break, but then get back to feeding your brain with challenges…even the frustrating ones. They’ll keep you in flow and feed the Progress Principle. Remember: 

• Too little challenge = boredom.

• Too much challenge = anxiety or frustration.

• Moderate challenge with visible progress = engagement and satisfaction.