Editorial review from Amazon.com

You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.

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"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" has been on my reading list for quite some time. While it wasn't a disappointment, I didn't find it inspirational either. In fact, the information was rather rational, with no great leaps or a-ha moments. That being stated, it did serve as a reminder of some fundamentals in the struggle of existence of finding a purpose and relentless pursuing it. "Flow" became motivational only in the context of what is already known and being a reminder that seeker a higher purpose is what leads to happiness; and that we aren't figuring out this thing called life on our own.
One take away that I really liked was Csikszentmihalyi's definition and description of 'optimal experience'. It wasn't a 'he who dies with the most toys' mentality which everyone knows falls short but one of growth. And that growth is not always linear but cyclical.
If you enjoy social psychology, self development type literature "Flow" is worth a read. There is work to get through lots of words to extract a few grains but that shouldn't deter the interested reader. [3.5/5]

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