flow and creativity mihaly csikszentmihalyi

I’m oversimplifying, but you get the idea. So, if you read, ‘large, gray, mammal, trunk, tusk’, your brain is primed to fire ‘elephant,’ and many other ideas associated with an elephant. When any of the sub-concepts in the schema arise in the mind as a result of external stimuli, the associated neurons fire, and cause some firing of connected neurons. A schema is a set of related concepts that define a mental object. At the conscious level, file naming conventions are a deliberate use of patterns for the sake of mental convenience.įundamentally, neurons connect when they are stimulated together. Your visual cortex, for example, ignores much of the information around the exact point your eyes focus on, because the focal point and the stimuli surrounding it tend to be similar. This happens at sub-conscious and conscious levels. Our brains rely on patterns to ease the burden of thinking. Interestingly, the group who had to work around a mark ended up with more creative work, as judged by a panel from the University of Chicago.

He asked all of the students to paint something, but half of them were forced to paint around a pre-existing mark on the canvas. In one experiment, Csikszentmihalyi worked with art students at the University of Chicago. He is author of several books including Flow, The Evolving Self and Creativity.Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is famous for defining and disseminating the idea of ‘flow.’ But some of his less famous work involves the study of creativity. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. Complexity entails an openness to the cultural and spiritual traditions of the world in a manner that seeks the common threads of integration. He maintains that we are at a point in evolutionary history where it is incumbant upon us to take conscious control over the future evolution of the mind. In Part Three, Csikszentmihalyi explores the application of the theory of evolution to human consciousness.

Flow is often cultivated through physical disciplines such as sports, yoga and martial arts. It is associated with happiness and a commitment to a full and rewarding life.

This state is reported in similar language by creative people in all areas of life. In Part Two, Csikszentmihalyi discusses his work on 'flow,' a state of consciousness that entails a passionate involvement with life. He points out that creativity involves a lifelong commitment that begins with one's personal life and moves beyond to the larger cultural domain. In Part One of this three-part program, Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi discusses the results of over thirty years researching the lives of highly creative individuals.

Flow and creativity mihaly csikszentmihalyi