flow and creativity mihaly csikszentmihalyi

“Flow” brought to a general readership ideas that he and other psychologists had been developing for decades. Csikszentmihalyi has been viewed nearly seven million times. Newt Gingrich sang its praises so did Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, who once boasted that half his cabinet was reading it. He even held up a copy of the book during a postgame interview.

Csikszentmihalyi’s work as a critical piece in his preparation for the team’s victory in the 1993 Super Bowl. Jimmy Johnson, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, cited Dr. The book made “flow” a part of popular and political culture. Csikszentmihalyi, who went by Mike and whose full name is pronounced mee-HIGH CHEEK-sent-me-HIGH-ee, was a polymath whose passions for painting, chess playing and rock climbing informed his work on subjects as diverse as the teenage brain and the psychology of interior design.īut it was his research into creativity and focus, which began while he was a graduate student at the University of Chicago, that constituted his life’s work, and that made him a public figure after the breakout success of his 1990 book, “ Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.” His son, Chris Csikszentmihalyi, said the cause was cardiac arrest.ĭr.

Most important, he explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist who showed how everyone from artists to assembly-line workers can be transported to a state of focused contentment by getting caught in the “flow,” a term he coined and later popularized, died on Oct. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. Drawing on nearly one hundred interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his thirty years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reveals what leads to these moments-be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab-so that this knowledge can be used to enrich peoples lives. The classic study of the creative process from the national bestselling author of Flowcreativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. The author of The Evolving Self draws on the theories put forth in his best-selling Flow to explain the creative process and share personal anecdotes of successful people to show readers how to tap into their own creativity. Explains the creative process and shares personal anecdotes of successful people to show readers how to tap into their own creativity.

Flow and creativity mihaly csikszentmihalyi