1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Psychology of Your Twenties, 2 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: the podcast where we talk through some of the big 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: life changes and transitions of our twenties and what they 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: mean for our psychology. 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 2: Hello everybody, welcome back to this show. Welcome back to 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 2: the podcast. New listeners, our listeners, wherever you are in 7 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 2: the world, it is so great to have you here. 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 2: Back for another episode as we of course break down 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 2: the psychology of our twenties. Today, we've got another one 10 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: of our bonus episodes. These like kind of shorter coffee 11 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 2: break style chats are when we take one psychological concept, 12 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 2: one word that gets thrown around a lot, and really 13 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: just unpack what it actually means. Normally, like we don't 14 00:00:57,920 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 2: like they don't really have enough content for like a 15 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: whole forty minute episode, but I still really want to 16 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,759 Speaker 2: deep dive into them, and I still feel like there's 17 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 2: a lot in the topic and in the conversation that 18 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 2: we can learn from. So today is one of those episodes, 19 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 2: and what we're talking about is something that I think 20 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: we've probably all experienced, maybe not always recognized. It's also 21 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 2: one of my favorite things to talk about in general. 22 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: We're going to explore. This concept of flow states that 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 2: sweet spot where you are so immersed in what you're 24 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 2: doing that you just lose all sense of time. You 25 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 2: forget to check your phone, you forget you're even you 26 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: for a little while, you are just so totally in it. 27 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: Maybe you have gotten this when you're doing something creative. 28 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: I know for me, when I'm painting, when I'm doing sodoko, 29 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: I always get into a flow state. But maybe when 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: you're dancing, sketching, or maybe it's when you're just with 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 2: your best friend and suddenly hours fly by in a 32 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: matter of minutes. It's so rare. It's this magical zone 33 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 2: of effortless engagement that I think we could all benefit 34 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 2: from experiencing a little bit more so. The term flow 35 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 2: was first introduced by the Hungarian American psychologist Mihai chick 36 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: sent me Haii in the nineteen seventies. In his words, 37 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 2: the best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, 38 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 2: relaxing times. The best moments usually occur when a person's 39 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 2: body or mind is stretched to its limits in a 40 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 2: voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile that is 41 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 2: also enjoyable. He first identified this feeling by looking at 42 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: some of the most talented and exceptional people in the world, athletes, 43 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 2: ballet dancers, entrepreneurs, authors, scientists, and identifying this thing that 44 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: kind of linked them all together. Something they all had 45 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 2: in common was that when they were doing the thing 46 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 2: that they loved and that they were the best at. 47 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 2: Although they described it differently, they all had this feeling 48 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 2: of flow that they said told them almost made them 49 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 2: feel like even if they never found success, they were 50 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: on the right path. They wanted to chase this feeling 51 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 2: to accept me High actually outlined the eight main characteristics 52 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 2: of flow that he identified in all these different cases. 53 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 2: See if you kind of align with any of these, 54 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 2: See if these have been your experience. The first was 55 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: intense focus and concentration. Whatever you are doing, you are 56 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 2: completely absorbed. The second is merging of action and awareness. 57 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: You stop thinking about what you're doing, you just do it. Third, 58 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: loss of self consciousness. You forget to be self critical. 59 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: Even if you have the loudest inner critic when you're 60 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 2: in a state of flow, they are nowhere to be seen. Fourth, 61 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 2: a sense of control. You feel capable, balanced between challenge 62 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 2: and skill. Fifth is a distorted sense of time. The 63 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 2: hours literally feel like minutes. You look up, it's like 64 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 2: you started at two, it's eight pm. Sixth, there is 65 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 2: clear goals and feedback. You know what you're doing and 66 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 2: you can see how you're doing. Seventh is a sense 67 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 2: of effortlessness. You're working hard, but it doesn't feel hard. 68 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 2: You don't feel like you're becoming exhausted. An eight is 69 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 2: something called an autotelic experience, meaning that you are doing 70 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 2: this thing for its own sake, not for a reward, 71 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 2: not for an audience. If nobody ever acknowledged what you 72 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 2: were doing, you would still do it every single day 73 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 2: if you could. Even though Cheeks sent me high Yee 74 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 2: gave it a modern label, the experience of flow, it's 75 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 2: actually not modern at all. Throughout history, people have described 76 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 2: something strikingly similar. For example, ancient Greek philosophers talked about eudaemonia, 77 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: a state of human flourishing that came from deep engagement 78 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 2: with meaningful activity. Artists during the Renaissance describe divine inspiration 79 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 2: right this trancelike creative state where their art seemed to 80 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 2: come from something above them or around them, rather than 81 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 2: from them. Writers Virginia Wolfe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Elizabeth Gilbert. 82 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 2: They write about like this rapture of creativity, the sense 83 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 2: of like losing themselves in thought and creation. It's an 84 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 2: outer body experience. And even in Eastern philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism, 85 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 2: there's this idea of wouweih, which is effortless action, the 86 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 2: act of doing without forcing, of being so attuned to 87 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 2: what you're doing that it feels like it is flowing 88 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 2: through you like a river, so we can kind of see, 89 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 2: you know. The language for how we described this has evolved, 90 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 2: but the human experience has been the same for literal centuries. 91 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 2: Like Mihai's greatest contribution was giving this feeling a psychological framework, 92 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 2: identifying its triggers, measuring it, understanding how it affects our 93 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 2: brains and our emotions. It was, by no means though, 94 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 2: a novel or new idea. This is something that different cultures, 95 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 2: different people, different groups have named and have conceptualized for centuries. 96 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 2: Flow is just the new label, and I think it's 97 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 2: quite a beautiful thing. Like I honestly find that very 98 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,920 Speaker 2: comforting to know that like humanity has had this shared 99 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 2: experienced across thousands and thousands of years across time and context, 100 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 2: and that flow is accessible to everyone and people have 101 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 2: experienced like its wonder before you know I was alive. 102 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 2: I just find it quite beautiful now I did just 103 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 2: say flow is accessible to absolutely everyone, but it does 104 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 2: tend to appear more often and more commonly in people 105 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 2: who engage in structured challenges or creative practices. Musicians, writers, dances, athletes, gamers, 106 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 2: programmers like these other groups that often report entering a 107 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 2: flow state more frequently, and it makes sense when you 108 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 2: think about the conditions that help create it. Their activities 109 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 2: usually involve clear goals, immediate feedback, and a gradual increase 110 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 2: in skill over time. When a musician is practicing a piece, 111 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 2: for example, you know they're constantly adjusting their performance based 112 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 2: on what they hear. The challenge evolves with their ability. 113 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 2: The same goes for athletes, The same goes for gamers, 114 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 2: the same goes for writers. The feedback and the balance 115 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 2: between difficulty and mastery keeps the brain engaged at that 116 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 2: sweet spot. It's not only about the type of activity, though, 117 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 2: it's also about how you approach it. That is really 118 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 2: really critical. People who are intrinsically motivated, meaning they do 119 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 2: things because they genuinely enjoyed them, not because of external rewards. 120 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 2: They tend to experience flow more often. Multiple studies and 121 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 2: reviews show that intrinsic motivation fuels flow because it keeps 122 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 2: your attention grounded in the process itself. We talked about 123 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 2: this like dissipation of ego, that you're in a critic 124 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 2: kind of silences during these moments. That's incredibly important for 125 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 2: this process. You wouldn't be able to access flow if 126 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 2: you were constantly thinking about how this thing that you 127 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 2: did was going to be graded, or whether it was 128 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 2: going to be approved by people, whether it was going 129 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 2: to receive positive feedback, whether people are going to like 130 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 2: you more because you did it. It's just not possible. 131 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 2: This has to be something that you do for you 132 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 2: and you alone, and maybe the benefits of it is 133 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 2: that people celebrate it and think that you're amazing and 134 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 2: think that you're talented. You would do it though even 135 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 2: if you didn't hear that praise. Psychologists actually find that 136 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 2: there is a certain kind of person who is more 137 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 2: able to activate this I guess, non self critical, non 138 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,959 Speaker 2: externally validated part of themselves, and these are people who 139 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 2: are high in what we call again autotelic traits. They're 140 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 2: high in curiosity, they're high in persistence, they're not very 141 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 2: self centered, and they have a deep openness to experience. 142 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 2: That is the kind of individual who might be more 143 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 2: likely to fall into a state of flow. And whilst, 144 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 2: of course, you know, we see that a lot in 145 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 2: performance based fields, surgeons, teachers, software engineers like, it's very 146 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 2: essential to know that anybody can expec experience this when 147 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 2: they are doing something they love, even if they don't 148 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 2: have an autotelic personality. The real truth about flow is 149 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 2: that it is a human privilege, it is a human gift. 150 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 2: It's less about who you are and more about finding 151 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:19,439 Speaker 2: the right way to engage. So we've talked about who's 152 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 2: more likely to experience flow, what it feels like, what 153 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 2: is actually happening in our minds when we're in it, 154 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 2: and how can we access its properties and that state more. 155 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 2: We're going to take a short break when we return, 156 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 2: we're going to explore all of those things stay with us. 157 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 2: So what exactly is happening in your brain during flow 158 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 2: that makes it so amazing? Well, the neuroscientist Arnie Ditrich 159 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 2: described flow as a state of transient hypofrontality. What does 160 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: that mean? It basically means that certain parts of your 161 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 2: prefrontal cortex, especially those responsible for self monitoring and time awareness, 162 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 2: actually quiet down or are down regulated, meaning that you 163 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,839 Speaker 2: are experiencing an altered state of consciousness, rather than your 164 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 2: brain being in a state of frantically juggling multiple things 165 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 2: at once and the accompanying critical thoughts that follow all 166 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 2: these processes kind of fade away for a moment. Your 167 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 2: attention becomes laser focused on the task in front of you. 168 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 2: At the same time, dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with reward 169 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 2: and motivation rises. We know that's going to make you 170 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 2: enjoy the task more. It's also going to help you 171 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 2: with creativity, sustained attention, and pattern recognition, meaning that you 172 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 2: get more in this groove of things. A twenty fourteen 173 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 2: paper published in the journal nerror Image investigated a sample 174 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 2: of twenty seven participants and split them into three different 175 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 2: experimental groups, either flow, where participants engaged in tasks that 176 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: automatically adjusted to their skill level, boredom where tasks were 177 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 2: too easy, and overload, where the task was way too challenging. 178 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,839 Speaker 2: They found that participants who experienced flow also showed decreased 179 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 2: neural activity in the amygdala. We're talk about the amygdala 180 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 2: on the podcast so often. It could basically be a 181 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 2: co host at this point, but it's responsible for threat detection, 182 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,439 Speaker 2: emotional processing, even social behavior. The activity in that area 183 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 2: during flow minimal. This neural shift is also why people 184 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: in flow often report losing track of time. You know, 185 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 2: your internal clock is slowing down, and there's nothing scary 186 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 2: that's going to bring you back to the present. Something 187 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 2: really interesting that Chiek sent me Hiyi actually proposed is 188 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 2: that flow might be one of them ingredients of what 189 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 2: he called the good life, a life that is not 190 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 2: defined by constant pleasure, constant comfort, but by regular moments 191 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 2: of deep engagement and meaning. And in a way that 192 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 2: makes sense because flow just gives you a break from yourself, 193 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 2: from self comparison, from worry, from trying to perform. It's 194 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 2: not about escaping life, but about being like completely inside 195 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 2: of it, such that all of these emotional distractions aren't there. 196 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 2: When you think about that, like, it's honestly so rare 197 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 2: that we are in a state like this, and it's 198 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 2: not a form of escapism obviously, Like when you're watching TikTok. 199 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 2: When you're like on your phone, watching a movie, eating 200 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 2: a snack at the same time, you might think that 201 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 2: you're in a flow state. You probably can't tell how 202 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 2: much time is passing. It probably feels very effortless, but 203 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 2: you're not, because it's often a form of, you know, again, 204 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 2: a scape rather than deeper emotional connection. If you know, 205 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,439 Speaker 2: you're thinking, I don't think I've ever felt that way 206 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 2: when I'm doing something creative or I used to be 207 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:12,719 Speaker 2: able to do this. I can't get there anymore. I've 208 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 2: rotted my brain. You're definitely not alone. Flow sounds effortless, 209 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 2: it's actually very hard to achieve, especially these days when 210 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 2: our the attention economy is basically meaning that there is 211 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 2: money behind you being distracted. If you are distracted, buy 212 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 2: something on your phone, buy something on the screen, by 213 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 2: an advertisement, by anything like, somebody is making money off 214 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 2: of your distraction. We're checking yourtifications, we're switching tabs, we're multitasking. 215 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 2: That condition that a lot of us find ourselves in 216 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 2: is actually the opposite of what flow needs to survive. 217 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 2: Flow requires uninterrupted focus, that deep, unbroken engagement we have 218 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 2: with one thing, and I listened to this podcast from 219 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 2: the American psychologicals Asociation featuring doctor Gloria Mark, and she 220 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 2: spoke about how, on average, our attention spans now last 221 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 2: for just forty seven seconds forty seven four seven seconds, 222 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 2: and that blew my mind when I heard it. That 223 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 2: is clearly not enough time for your brain to fully 224 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 2: immerse itself in anything. No wonder, flow is becoming harder 225 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 2: to come by because our concentration is like a muscle 226 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 2: and it's probably atrophied a little bit. Here's the good news. Focus, 227 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 2: concentration connectedness. That is a skill, and like any skill, 228 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 2: it can be rebuilt. You can train your brain back 229 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 2: into its flow state. One of the first steps is 230 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 2: to protect your attention. Carve out time for focus the 231 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 2: same way you would for a workout or for a 232 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 2: social event. That might mean turning off notification, setting your 233 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 2: phone across the room, going on a walk without music 234 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 2: without your phone, just to observe, just to have sixty 235 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 2: minutes thirty minutes to be present. You need that uninterrupted 236 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 2: time to reform and rebuild. Next, find the right balance 237 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 2: of challenge, but make sure you are challenging yourself. You 238 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 2: cannot achieve a flow state if you are constantly doing 239 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 2: things that are incredibly passive and boring, scrolling on your phone, 240 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,239 Speaker 2: it feels great. There's like a low level of dopamine 241 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 2: constantly available to you. There. You're never going to achieve 242 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 2: a true flow state unless you put yourself in conditions 243 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 2: and situations that take you out of that passive kind 244 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 2: of observational moment that all of us find ourselves in. 245 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 2: Flow thrives in that sweet spot between bordermen and anxiety 246 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:06,239 Speaker 2: and just making something a little bit more complex, a 247 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 2: little bit more difficult than maybe you need to pushing 248 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 2: yourself to do things that are a little bit out 249 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 2: of the ordinary, even if initially it feels hard to 250 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 2: bring yourself to do them because you know that what's 251 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 2: coming is going to be this like enchanting state of mind. 252 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 2: What I mean by that is, like, go and invest 253 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 2: in buying some painting supplies so that the only option 254 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:31,360 Speaker 2: for you at the end of the night is not 255 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: just scrolling. You have a creative thing that you can 256 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 2: engage in. Go and buy a Sudoco book, Go and 257 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 2: start a sub stack, Go and create a website for yourself, 258 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,159 Speaker 2: or like a journal website for yourself. Just like do 259 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 2: anything junk journal, like get yourself into a sport. You 260 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 2: cannot be in flow and also completely passive and bored 261 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 2: with your everyday life. I know it's kind of probably 262 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 2: uncomfortable to hear, but if something is too easy, there's 263 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,199 Speaker 2: no point in your brain reaching that level of engagement. 264 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 2: Choose tasks that also matter to you. Obviously, flow rarely 265 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 2: happens when you're doing something purely for external validation. It's 266 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 2: most likely to appear when it's something that's meaningful to you. 267 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 2: I feel like these days, we constantly feel like we 268 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: need to produce or make or put stuff out there 269 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 2: for other people's enjoyment and for other people's reassurance or attention. 270 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 2: It's probably not so likely that flow is going to 271 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 2: appear in those moments. We need that internal harmony, that 272 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 2: internal validation, that intrinsic motivation, pushing us to keep going, 273 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 2: pushing us to engage, pushing us to want to try 274 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 2: finally be patient. Flow isn't something you can force. Sometimes 275 00:18:55,240 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 2: it just happens, and when it does, please remit keep 276 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 2: it in mind. I will. This is like a wild story, 277 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 2: but I remember one of the first times I experienced 278 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,360 Speaker 2: flow was and this is going to sound so cheesy 279 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,199 Speaker 2: the first time I made a podcast episode for a 280 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 2: UNI assignment. Half the reason why I knew that this 281 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,640 Speaker 2: was going to be something that I was good at 282 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 2: and that I was going to want to do and 283 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,920 Speaker 2: that I was going to love was because I made 284 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 2: this podcast for like an international relations course when I 285 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 2: was at UNI, and I remember exactly where I was sitting. 286 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,920 Speaker 2: I was sitting on the third floor of this library 287 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 2: at A and U, the university I went to. And 288 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 2: I sat there without eating, without drinking, without going to 289 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 2: the bathroom, for I think five hours just making this podcast. 290 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 2: And when you find flow, I think you also find purpose. 291 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 2: Everybody wants to find what they're going to be great 292 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 2: at their dream job. You know what they're here for. 293 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,199 Speaker 2: Flow is like your key to finding that. When you 294 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 2: find flow, you find purpose. So slow down, try not 295 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,199 Speaker 2: to distract yourself, try not to force yourself into it. 296 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 2: Just listen to your environment, listen to your feelings, listen 297 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,199 Speaker 2: to your mental state, and flow will come a lot easier, 298 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,360 Speaker 2: and with that so many other answers that you might 299 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 2: be looking for in your life. So with that in mind, 300 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 2: thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to this 301 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 2: mini bonus episode. I hope you enjoyed it. If you 302 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:35,360 Speaker 2: made it this far, please leave a little comment down below. 303 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 2: When do you experience flow and do you think that 304 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 2: your flow state is aligned with your purpose? Yes or no? 305 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 2: I think it is. I know other people who think 306 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 2: that flow aligns with more so what they're passionate with 307 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 2: that they never want to make money off of, or 308 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 2: that is always going to be their escape or their 309 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 2: hobby for them. So I want to hear your thoughts 310 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 2: and your opinions. Make sure as well that you are 311 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 2: following us. Hit the subscribe button, hit the what is 312 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: the button? I think it's just a follow button. Hit 313 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 2: the follow button so that you know when new episodes 314 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 2: come out. We have some amazing episodes coming up this December. 315 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:14,159 Speaker 2: I just interviewed a guest on the Psychology of Plastic Surgery. 316 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 2: I interviewed another one on the Ambition Trap. Like There's 317 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:20,719 Speaker 2: so much good stuff coming, so make sure that you 318 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 2: are around for that and follow us on Instagram at 319 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 2: that Psychology podcast if you want to see more behind 320 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 2: the scenes stuff and what we're getting up to, or 321 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 2: engage with the community. There are so many opportunities for 322 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 2: you to do that over there. Thank you as well 323 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 2: to our research assistant Libbie Colbert for her contributions to 324 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 2: this episode. She's fantastic. She is amazing. We appreciate her 325 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 2: so much. But with all that being said, we will 326 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 2: talk to you very soon. Stay safe, be kind, and 327 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 2: be gentle to yourself. See you later.