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Happiness, 2.08 (V) Week 2 Video 7 - Why flow enhances happiness

2.08 (V) Week 2 Video 7 - Why flow enhances happiness

[MUSIC] Welcome back guys. In the last video I talked about when flow happens. When required abilities matched, or rather just a little bit higher than available ability. I also talked about the difference between what might be called low flow and high flow. In this video, I want to talk about why flow experiences enhance happiness levels. As it turns out, there are at least three reasons for it. First, flow is enjoyable in the moment. Why? Because as Professor Czikszentmihayi found, flow experiences are meaningful, and we find meaningful experiences to be enjoyable. Here's a video of a guy, street painter named D Westry. That shows you just how enjoyable flow moments are in the moment. Check it out. » [APPLAUSE] » Our next contestant hails from Columbus, Georgia. Let's hear it for D Westry. Come on out, D. » [APPLAUSE] » [APPLAUSE] Yeah painting. » Right alright alright. » All right so what is your talent? What will you be performing today? » I'm a speed painter and I'm going to do a painting in a minute and a half or less. » All right here we go. Lets hear it for D Westry. [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC] [CROSSTALK] [MUSIC] Are we timing this? » Yes we're timing this. » Alright D, you have one minute left, here we go. » What do you think it is? I can't tell what it is. » I don't know. [MUSIC] [LAUGH] » 45 seconds, D. Here we go. » [LAUGH] [MUSIC] » Looks like a beach ball. » Oh, now he has some color going on. » Okay, [MUSIC] 30 seconds [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC] » Come on guys, we can figure this out. [MUSIC] A potato? » A potato? » All right. Its coming down to the wire. 15 seconds, D! » A pear? » Come on! [CROSSTALK] Three, two, one. Let's hear it for D West String [APPLAUSE] » Yes, yes. » [APPLAUSE] » They're on their feet, D! » As you can tell from the video, Westry was in flow. He was so focused on what he was doing that he wasn't judging or evaluating himself. » What you could also tell, that he was quite relaxed. He was really enjoying himself. That's what happens to you when you're in flow. Notice also, that although this obviously very talented painter, after all, he was able to draw or paint Anderson Cooper's face upside-down. That to a 90 seconds flat. He's also a bit of an entertainer and a show man. He knows that it wouldn't be as interesting to paint somebody right side up, as it would be to paint them upside down. In other words, D knew that his skills would be all the more appreciated if he could find a way to test them or exhibit them in an interesting and unusual way. That's what happens when you're in flow. You're constantly evolving and growing in new and unexpected ways, and finding new, creative, original ways to harness your talents. That's part of the reason why flow activities are so meaningful. They make you constantly grow and evolve and learn. [SOUND] The second reason why flow enhances happiness has to do with charisma. Let me explain why this is by showing you another video, this time of an artist that I'm sure many of you have heard, Susan Boyle, who is a participant in the 2009 edition of Britain's Got Talent. Watch. » What's your name darling? » My name is Susan Boyle. » And how old are you Susan? » I am 47. [SOUND] And that's just one side of me. » Okay, what's the dream? » I'm trying to be a professional singer. » And why hasn't it worked out so far, Susan? I've never been given the chance before but here's hoping it'll change » Okay and who would you like to be successful as? » Ellen Paige. » Ellen Paige. What are you going to sing tonight? » I'm going to sing I Dreamed a Dream from the Les Miserables [APPLAUSE]. » Okay. » Yeah. [MUSIC] [SOUND] [INAUDIBLE] You just didn't expect that, did you? Did you? No! [MUSIC] » [APPLAUSE] » [CROSSTALK] » [APPLAUSE] » [MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] Now Susan will be the first to admit that she's not a great looking person. That's part of the reason why everybody in the audience in the video you just saw including the judges were against her at the beginning, and yet by the end of her performance she had everybody eating out of her hands. That's what flow can do for you, when you are in flow, particularly high flow, you naturally become more charismatic. You might have discovered this for yourself. Where you did something really well. Maybe you danced really well at a function, or you delivered a great presentation. You cracked a great joke, cooked some really nice food. Whatever your talent is, when it is on display. People naturally find you more attractive. In my classes I sometimes ask my students to rate Susan Boyle on attractiveness. Physical attractiveness. Before I show them the video that you just saw. Turns out on average she gets a rating of 3.5 out of ten. Before they watch the video. Then I ask them, sometimes it's a totally different group of students. To rate her on attractiveness after watching her performance. And it turns out that when you rate her on attractiveness after watching the video, the average rating is over six on the ten point scale, a really big difference. When I spoke to Professor Csikszentmihalyi recently, I asked him why is it that we like others who exhibit flow? Here's what he said to me. Listen. » One advantage of flow is that it is not a zero sum game, you know? All the other rewards that we work for are zero sum. In other words. If I have a lot of money, somebody has less, probably. Or the only way I can feel good is by having more than others, and the same thing with prestige. The same thing with, most extrinsic rewards are zero sum, and so to be able to get enjoyment and meaning from flow means that you are not dependent on other people being worse off than you are. In fact, as you say, you are allowing them to experience flow by, and flow can be contagious. » As you just heard from Professor Csikszentmihalyi, himself. It seems that an important reason why people find you more attractive when you exhibit flow, is because flow is not a finite resource. Your flow doesn't have to come at a cost of my flow. In comparison, if you think about the extrinsic yardsticks of superiority. Money, or fame, power, etc. These are finite resources. There is only so much money to go around. There are only so many magazine covers on which our pictures can appear. So when you purchase these extrinsic yardsticks people naturally feel threatened because they feel that you're taking away things from them that they too want. However, if you pursue flow, people don't feel as threatened. They know that you can have your flow and they can have their own flow. And the two don't have to come at a cost to each other. So, to summarize what I discussed in this video. There are two big reasons why flow enhances happiness. One, flow is enjoyable in the moment. And two, flow makes you more likeable. In the next video, I'm going to talk about another reason why flow enhances happiness. And not just happiness, but also success. Until then, ta ta. [MUSIC]


2.08 (V) Week 2 Video 7 - Why flow enhances happiness

[MUSIC] Welcome back guys. In the last video I talked about when flow happens. When required abilities matched, or rather just a little bit higher than available ability. I also talked about the difference between what might be called low flow and high flow. In this video, I want to talk about why flow experiences enhance happiness levels. As it turns out, there are at least three reasons for it. First, flow is enjoyable in the moment. Why? Because as Professor Czikszentmihayi found, flow experiences are meaningful, and we find meaningful experiences to be enjoyable. Here's a video of a guy, street painter named D Westry. That shows you just how enjoyable flow moments are in the moment. Check it out. » [APPLAUSE] » Our next contestant hails from Columbus, Georgia. Let's hear it for D Westry. Come on out, D. » [APPLAUSE] » [APPLAUSE] Yeah painting. » Right alright alright. » All right so what is your talent? What will you be performing today? » I'm a speed painter and I'm going to do a painting in a minute and a half or less. » All right here we go. Lets hear it for D Westry. [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC] [CROSSTALK] [MUSIC] Are we timing this? » Yes we're timing this. » Alright D, you have one minute left, here we go. » What do you think it is? I can't tell what it is. » I don't know. [MUSIC] [LAUGH] » 45 seconds, D. Here we go. » [LAUGH] [MUSIC] » Looks like a beach ball. » Oh, now he has some color going on. » Okay, [MUSIC] 30 seconds [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC] » Come on guys, we can figure this out. [MUSIC] A potato? » A potato? » All right. Its coming down to the wire. 15 seconds, D! » A pear? » Come on! [CROSSTALK] Three, two, one. Let's hear it for D West String [APPLAUSE] » Yes, yes. » [APPLAUSE] » They're on their feet, D! » As you can tell from the video, Westry was in flow. He was so focused on what he was doing that he wasn't judging or evaluating himself. » What you could also tell, that he was quite relaxed. He was really enjoying himself. That's what happens to you when you're in flow. Notice also, that although this obviously very talented painter, after all, he was able to draw or paint Anderson Cooper's face upside-down. That to a 90 seconds flat. He's also a bit of an entertainer and a show man. He knows that it wouldn't be as interesting to paint somebody right side up, as it would be to paint them upside down. In other words, D knew that his skills would be all the more appreciated if he could find a way to test them or exhibit them in an interesting and unusual way. That's what happens when you're in flow. You're constantly evolving and growing in new and unexpected ways, and finding new, creative, original ways to harness your talents. That's part of the reason why flow activities are so meaningful. They make you constantly grow and evolve and learn. [SOUND] The second reason why flow enhances happiness has to do with charisma. Let me explain why this is by showing you another video, this time of an artist that I'm sure many of you have heard, Susan Boyle, who is a participant in the 2009 edition of Britain's Got Talent. Watch. » What's your name darling? » My name is Susan Boyle. » And how old are you Susan? » I am 47. [SOUND] And that's just one side of me. » Okay, what's the dream? » I'm trying to be a professional singer. » And why hasn't it worked out so far, Susan? I've never been given the chance before but here's hoping it'll change » Okay and who would you like to be successful as? » Ellen Paige. » Ellen Paige. What are you going to sing tonight? » I'm going to sing I Dreamed a Dream from the Les Miserables [APPLAUSE]. » Okay. » Yeah. [MUSIC] [SOUND] [INAUDIBLE] You just didn't expect that, did you? Did you? No! [MUSIC] » [APPLAUSE] » [CROSSTALK] » [APPLAUSE] » [MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] Now Susan will be the first to admit that she's not a great looking person. That's part of the reason why everybody in the audience in the video you just saw including the judges were against her at the beginning, and yet by the end of her performance she had everybody eating out of her hands. That's what flow can do for you, when you are in flow, particularly high flow, you naturally become more charismatic. You might have discovered this for yourself. Where you did something really well. Maybe you danced really well at a function, or you delivered a great presentation. You cracked a great joke, cooked some really nice food. Whatever your talent is, when it is on display. People naturally find you more attractive. In my classes I sometimes ask my students to rate Susan Boyle on attractiveness. Physical attractiveness. Before I show them the video that you just saw. Turns out on average she gets a rating of 3.5 out of ten. Before they watch the video. Then I ask them, sometimes it's a totally different group of students. To rate her on attractiveness after watching her performance. And it turns out that when you rate her on attractiveness after watching the video, the average rating is over six on the ten point scale, a really big difference. When I spoke to Professor Csikszentmihalyi recently, I asked him why is it that we like others who exhibit flow? Here's what he said to me. Listen. » One advantage of flow is that it is not a zero sum game, you know? All the other rewards that we work for are zero sum. In other words. If I have a lot of money, somebody has less, probably. Or the only way I can feel good is by having more than others, and the same thing with prestige. The same thing with, most extrinsic rewards are zero sum, and so to be able to get enjoyment and meaning from flow means that you are not dependent on other people being worse off than you are. In fact, as you say, you are allowing them to experience flow by, and flow can be contagious. » As you just heard from Professor Csikszentmihalyi, himself. It seems that an important reason why people find you more attractive when you exhibit flow, is because flow is not a finite resource. Your flow doesn't have to come at a cost of my flow. In comparison, if you think about the extrinsic yardsticks of superiority. Money, or fame, power, etc. These are finite resources. There is only so much money to go around. There are only so many magazine covers on which our pictures can appear. So when you purchase these extrinsic yardsticks people naturally feel threatened because they feel that you're taking away things from them that they too want. However, if you pursue flow, people don't feel as threatened. They know that you can have your flow and they can have their own flow. And the two don't have to come at a cost to each other. So, to summarize what I discussed in this video. There are two big reasons why flow enhances happiness. One, flow is enjoyable in the moment. And two, flow makes you more likeable. In the next video, I'm going to talk about another reason why flow enhances happiness. And not just happiness, but also success. Until then, ta ta. [MUSIC]