--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi…" description: "\"“The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced six-cent-mihaly) has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/daniel-kahneman-431_focus_the-psychologist-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi_2192288.jpg" --- # The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced… ![“The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced six-cent-mihaly) has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending, and the name he proposed for it, flow, has become part of the language. People who experience flow describe it as “a state of effortless concentration…” quote by Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/daniel-kahneman-431_focus_the-psychologist-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi_2192288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/daniel-kahneman-431_focus_the-psychologist-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi_2192288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/daniel-kahneman-431_focus_the-psychologist-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi_2192288.jpg) > ““The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced six-cent-mihaly) has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending, and the name he proposed for it, flow, has become part of the language. People who experience flow describe it as “a state of effortless concentration so deep that they lose their sense of time, of themselves, of their problems,”” [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flow is a deep, effortless focus where self‑consciousness fades and time is lost, enhancing performance and satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Deep focus makes time disappear and boosts performance. Key Takeaway Cultivate environments that support deep, undistracted work. Themes focus performance mindfulness Mood engaged immersive Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - sports - learning - problem solving Key Concepts psychology optimal experience concentration Questions to Reflect On - What conditions help you enter flow? - How can you sustain flow longer? A Different Perspective Flow can be hard to achieve without eliminating distractions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) ## Related quotes > [“And the dark night of flow is an issue that society has not made particularly easy to handle. How many people have stopped playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-kotler/and-the-dark-night-of-flow-is-an-issue-that-society-has-not-made/) [Steven Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-kotler/) > [Designing is a matter of concentration. You go deep into what you want to do. It's about intensive research, really. The concentration is warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/designing-is-a-matter-of-concentration-you-go-deep-into-what-you-want/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [“Doing activities that you love to do, even a few minutes a day, can help you experience more flow, improve your well-being, and help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-e-smith/doing-activities-that-you-love-to-do-even-a-few-minutes-a-day-can/) [Laurie E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-e-smith/) > [“It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have" ... we experience flow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/it-is-not-the-skills-we-actually-have-that-determine-how-we-feel-but/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [“...flow - a state that some artists experience in their creative moments and that many other people achieve when enthralled by a film, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/flow-a-state-that-some-artists-experience-in-their-creative-moments/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Flow is engagement on steroids. Flow is that state of being in which time stands still, you’re totally engaged in an activity, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-evans/flow-is-engagement-on-steroids-flow-is-that-state-of-being-in-which/) [Dave Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-evans/) > [I kind of entered a flow state. I've been there before while climbing. You are not thinking ahead. You are just thinking about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aron-ralston/i-kind-of-entered-a-flow-state-i-ve-been-there-before-while-climbing/) [Aron Ralston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aron-ralston/) > [A lot of marathon runners access flow state. That's why it's so addictive: because they just get into this state where they're just completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tash-sultana/a-lot-of-marathon-runners-access-flow-state-that-s-why-it-s-so/) [Tash Sultana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tash-sultana/) > [“The tremendous leisure industry that has arisen in the last few generations has been designed to help fill free time with enjoyable experiences. Nevertheless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/the-tremendous-leisure-industry-that-has-arisen-in-the-last-few/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-would-suggest-that-our-listening-is-the-main-way-that-we-experience/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [“To build your working life around the experience of flow produced by deep work is a proven path to deep satisfaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/to-build-your-working-life-around-the-experience-of-flow-produced-by/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“The connection between deep work and flow should be clear: Deep work is an activity well suited to generate a flow state (the phrases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-connection-between-deep-work-and-flow-should-be-clear-deep-work/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [The happiest people spend much time in a state of flow - the state in which people are so involved in an activity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/the-happiest-people-spend-much-time-in-a-state-of-flow-the-state-in/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“Flow is a state of mind in which a learner is acutely focused, absorbed, fully engrossed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pacansky-brock/flow-is-a-state-of-mind-in-which-a-learner-is-acutely-focused/) Michelle Pacansky-brock > [“Flow is a state of being when we are completely focused, and fully immersed in what we are doing. In flow our work seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/flow-is-a-state-of-being-when-we-are-completely-focused-and-fully/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) ## More by Daniel Kahneman > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Belief in the Law of Small Numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/belief-in-the-law-of-small-numbers/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“People who are poor think like traders, but the dynamics are quite different. Unlike traders, the poor are not indifferent to the differences between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-who-are-poor-think-like-traders-but-the-dynamics-are-quite/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Mood evidently affects the operation of System 1: when we are uncomfortable and unhappy, we lose touch with our intuition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/mood-evidently-affects-the-operation-of-system-1-when-we-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The confidence that individuals have in their beliefs depends mostly on the quality of the story they can tell about what they see, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-confidence-that-individuals-have-in-their-beliefs-depends-mostly/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“For example, I recently came to doubt my long-held impression that adultery is more common among politicians than among physicians or lawyers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/for-example-i-recently-came-to-doubt-my-long-held-impression-that/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Survival prospects are poor for an animal that is not suspicious of novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/survival-prospects-are-poor-for-an-animal-that-is-not-suspicious-of/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“the idea of money primes individualism: a reluctance to be involved with others, to depend on others, or to accept demands from others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-idea-of-money-primes-individualism-a-reluctance-to-be-involved/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Most of the moments of our life - and I calculated, you know, the psychological present is said to be about three seconds long;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-of-the-moments-of-our-life-and-i-calculated-you-know-the/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“knowing little makes it easier to fit everything you know into a coherent pattern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/knowing-little-makes-it-easier-to-fit-everything-you-know-into-a/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [All of us would be better investors if we just made fewer decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/all-of-us-would-be-better-investors-if-we-just-made-fewer-decisions/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-best-we-can-do-is-a-compromise-learn-to-recognize-situations-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“A happy mood loosens the control of System 2 over performance: when in a good mood, people become more intuitive and more creative but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-happy-mood-loosens-the-control-of-system-2-over-performance-when-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) [Explore all 560 Daniel Kahneman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## More Flow quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [“When we strike a balance between the challenge of an activity and our skill at performing it, when the rhythm of the work itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/when-we-strike-a-balance-between-the-challenge-of-an-activity-and-our/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [I have this belief about things happening organically. I believe life has this organic flow in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoko-mori/i-have-this-belief-about-things-happening-organically-i-believe-life/) Naoko Mori > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [“Life is a flow which we can either resist or go with it gracefully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonmoy-acharjee/life-is-a-flow-which-we-can-either-resist-or-go-with-it-gracefully/) Tonmoy Acharjee > [What a strange power the perception of beauty is! It seems to ebb and flow like some secret tide, independent alike of health and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/what-a-strange-power-the-perception-of-beauty-is-it-seems-to-ebb-and/) [A. C. Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-benson/) [Browse all 3,282 Flow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced six-cent-mihaly) has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending, and the name he proposed for it, flow, has become part of the language. 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