Flow & Achievement PDF

Flow and Achievement What is flow & how to measure it? Start with Csikszentmihályi’s Concepts Flow is a healthy & enjoyable state … that can lead to achievement 1. clear goals (strong sense of what one wants to do) [must find out what you want to do] 2. concentration/focus on task-at-hand (complete...

Flow and Achievement What is flow & how to measure it? Start with Csikszentmihályi’s Concepts Flow is a healthy & enjoyable state … that can lead to achievement 1. clear goals (strong sense of what one wants to do) [must find out what you want to do] 2. concentration/focus on task-at-hand (complete task focus) [must develop attentional control] 3. sense of control (control over what one is doing) [staying calm when control seems reduced or slipping) 4. loss of self consciousness (minimal pride & vanity, humility because the ‘doing’ is the reward) 5. challenge-skill balance (competent to meet high situational demands) [must seek & confront challenging situations…they are ‘fun’] 6. action-awareness merge (‘doing’ spontaneously without having to think first) [practicing spontaneous ‘doing’] 7. unambiguous feedback (knowing how well one is doing during performance) [unafraid to confront the truths of unambiguous feedback] 8. transformation of time (time passes differently, less tediously, more interestingly) 9. autotelic experience (flow experience is rewarding). (Csikzentmihalyi and Csikzentmihalyi, 1988) Flow State Scale – Jackson & Marsh, 1996 Autotelic: “experience was rewarding” “wanted to recapture the feeling” “experience left me feeling great” Clear goals: “knew what I wanted” “strong sense of what I wanted to do” “knew what I wanted to achieve” “clearly defined goals” Challenge – Skill Balance: competent to meet demands “challenges match abilities” “challenge and skills are equally high” Concentration on task: total concentration “completely focused on task” “attention focused” “kept my mind on what was happening” Control: in total control of body “I could control what I was doing” “in total control” Unambiguous feedback: “knew how well I was doing by the way I was performing” “clearly doing well” “aware of how well I was performing” Action awareness merging: “things happened automatically” “completely focused on task” “attention focused” “kept my mind on what was happening” Transformation of time: “time different than normal” “slow motion” “time stopped” Loss of self consciousness: “not concerned with others” “not concerned about presentation” “not worried about performance” Flow can result in ‘overuse’ ‘misuse’ & ‘under-use’ Flow & excess The Positive Emotional Mood Skew of Flow – favours positively perceived experience How to achieve & flow at the same time? Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers The 10,000 hour practice threshold – more practice = more flow – Expert meditators (Lutz et al. 2004) – Expert musicians (German pianists) who began playing at 5 yrs with similar practice times; at 8 yrs, their practice time diverged – By 20 yrs, elite performers averaged > 10,000 hours while the less able averaged 4,000 hours or less Beatles played in local clubs in Hamburg: by 1962 they were playing 8 hrs/night, 7 nights/wk. – 56 hours/wk x’s 52 wks/yr 5824 hrs/year.. in Hamburg, they progressed to 10k hrs. Bill Gates: amassed many computer coding hrs. Progression to 10,000 practice hours If purely ‘tale genetics) that success, prac would be less predictive; ‘Talent’ may b the point’ of & doing a lot Attentional Control Always involves Mind Wandering & Attentional Return “the micro perspective” xy X y Xy Xy X y xy xy X y xy xy X y xy Wandering…then return of attention Wandering…then return of attention Wandering…then return of attention Wandering…then return of attention EEG – Amplitude & Frequency Delta – low amplitude & frequency (deep sleep) Theta – slightly higher amplitude-frequency (sleep with some awareness) Alpha – relatively relaxed wakefulness (higher – A-F) Beta – edgy wakefulness (still higher – A-F) Gamma – integrative ‘peak’ experience (highest A-F) Raw EEG Gamma Activity of Buddhist Monks from Lutz et al. (2004) Subjects reflect ‘gamma’ state in 5000 hrs. Gamma Oscillations during meditation session at electrode FP1 Frequency (Hz) 200 150 100 50 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Time in Minutes Time-series correlation - r = 0.79 - More meditation time = greater depth of meditation = higher levels of Gamma Oscillations Long Term Meditation Practitioners Asked to provide selfreport ratings of ‘clarity’ (selcha) during meditation Clarity & Gamma Wave Peaks Correlation found between judgment of clarity & gamma wave oscillations during meditation Verbal Report Gamma Activity (24-45Hz) Verbal Report Rating (1-9) correlation r =.69 Challenge Achievement Learning Model Challenges are always linked to Achievement & Behaviour change; Challenges are anxiety-provoking & motivating & lead to regulated attention CALM Model Explained Challenge is a consistent life factor – we don’t choose whether to ‘aspire’ – we choose which aspirations to prioritize When we face challenges, we inevitably develop challenge expectations & expectations about potential success with the challenge (achievement expectations). The relative coherence, or incoherence, between challenge expectations & achievement expectations results in: 1) how much attention is directed to the challenge; and 2) how much motivation is generated to successfully achieve The composite of challenge expectancies/achievement expectancies, attention regulation and motivation predicts behaviour change – or its absence. From flow to addiction One finds flow & overextends it Too much of a ‘good thing’ is a ‘bad thing’ Examples: flow during: – Mountain climbing (Alpinist risks add up) – Exercise (‘more’ becomes ‘too much’) – Drug effects (excess is unhealthy) Slippery Slope Indications With overuse, there are diminishing returns Feeling ‘out of balance’ Sacrificing ‘healthy’ lifestyle for what feels good but is unhealthy in the longer run The Biochemistry? ‘New Coke’ story illustrates how much expectations (placebo effects) influence addiction Dopamine levels are stimulated by expectations. ‘Expectation’ effects can exceed behavioural engagement &/or substance intake Cross-addictions demonstrate needs to rebalance neurotransmitter activity Flow in Music & Musicians? What is the ‘musical zone’? How is flow experienced in music? How much does it predict achievement? Marin and Bhattacharya, 2013 studied 76 piano performance students using self report measures of flow & trait emotional intelligence Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Petrides and Furnham, 2006) measures trait emotional intelligence with responses to 30 items on 7-point scales (1 = completely disagree to 7 = completely agree). Marin and Bhattacharya, 2013 Results of regression analysis Prediction of overall flow experience during piano playing Two predictors: – daily amount of practice – trait emotional intelligence explained 27.0% of the overall variance in flow scores (adjusted R2 = 0.27) Polyvagal Theory & Heart Rate Variability – Intervention Research Heart Rate Variability Reflects increased parasympathetic response; autonomic PARASYMPATHETIC balance SYMPATHETIC Slows heart rate1 Images retrieved from http://hatlenfamilychiropractic.com/3DNerveCh Metacognition & Mindfulness Fundamental shift (on thought & other ‘objects’ of awareness) termed ‘re-perceiving’ What was ‘subject’ becomes ‘object’ Consciousness becomes awareness of thought rather than ‘thought itself’ De-identification with ‘a specific thought’ leads to greater flexibility in cognitive modification & response; deidentification = flow (Epel, Folkman, Blackburn, 2009; Teasdale, Moore, Segal, 2002) This leads to cognitive challenges & novel modifications Mindfulness & reductions in inflammatory gene expression (2014) Inflammatory Gene Expression One day (8 am to 4 pm) of intensive mindfulness Experienced subjects (n= 19) were assessed for the expression of circadian, chromatin modulatory & inflammatory genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). A control group with no meditation experience engaged in leisure activities in the same environment (n= 21). PBMCs from all participants were obtained before (t1) and after (t2) Meditation Group – dose response over time The meditation group had an average of 6240 lifetime hours of meditation practice, ranging from 1440 to 14,730 total hours Inflammatory gene expression reduction Effects of mindful attention and compassion meditation on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non meditative state – Desbordes et al., 2012 * A significant longitudinal decrease in right amygdala activation to visual images of different ‘valences’ – an operational definition of becoming calmer Mindfulness improving cognitive function Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity & Graduate Record Exam performance while reducing mind wandering. (Mrazek, Franklin, Schooler, 2013) Trained meditators compared to matched meditationnaïve individuals & assessed on attentional performance & flexibility tests: meditators tested significantly better (Moore and Malinowski, 2009) Mindfulness improving sleep JAMA – Internal Medicine - 2015 Mindfulness Awareness Practices (MAP) compared with Sleep Hygiene Education (SHE) Older adults, mean age – 66.3 years – with moderate sleep disturbances (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index - PSQI). Random allocation – to 6 wks of intervention (2 hrs/wk) MAP resulted in significantly better results (PSQI) (large effect size – ES = 0.89) MAP was significantly better on secondary outcomes: insomnia, depression, fatigue interference & severity Autonomic Innervation of the Heart Sympathetic branch Fight-flight Slower cardiac influence Parasympathetic branch Rest-digest Rapid cardiac influence Appelhans, B.M., Luecken, L.J., 2006. Heart rate variability as an index of regulated emotional responding. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 10, 229–240. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1 “A Healthy Heart is Not a Metronome” Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Beat-to-beat interval variations Parasympathetic functioning High HRV ≈ Health and dynamic responding Low HRV ≈ Autonomic inflexibility and disease Shaffer, F., McCraty, R., Zerr, C.L., 2014. A healthy heart is not a metronome: An integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability. Front. Psychol. 5, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389 Acharya, U.R., Joseph, K.P., Kannathal, N., Lim, C.M., Suri, J.S., 2006. Heart rate variability: A review. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 44, 1031–1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-006-0119-0 Neurovisceral Integration Model Links HRV to self-regulation via executive functions Central autonomic network (CAN) HRV measures prefrontal– subcortical connectivity system Smith, R., Thayer, J.F., Khalsa, S.S., Lane, R.D., 2017. The hierarchical basis of neurovisceral integration. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 75, 274–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.02.003 system Sinus Rhythm — 60 BPM Average This ECG does not show signs of atrial fibrillation. King, L.A., Hicks, J.A., 2021. The science of meaning in life. Annu. Rev. Psychol. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-072420-122921 Meaning in Life (MIL) Subjective state Linked to better mental and physical health Three characteristics: Coherence Purpose Mattering Meaning in Life (MIL) and Social Relationships Positive cycle Social Relationships MIL Therefore, it follows that with higher MIL can better access the health benefits of social relationships- relational flow Stillman, T.F., Lambert, N.M., 2013. The bidirectional relationship of meaning and belonging, in: Hicks, J.A., Routledge, C. (Eds.), The Experience of Meaning in Life. Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 305–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6527-6_23