The social structure of certainty and uncertainty

Flow, for the most part, takes place in avocational rather than vocational activities. Although it would be ideal to enjoy one's work, and in a few fortunate societies this might indeed be the case, it is generally true in our society that most people do not find deep involvement and enjoyment in their productive work, but seek it instead in leisure activities. Csikszentmihalyi (1975b) points out that artists, scientists, surgeons, and members of a few other occupations may experience flow while working, but they constitute exceptions. Most people, most of the time, find their lives made up of predominantly nonflow situations. But what sort of experience is “nonflow”?

Flow occurs in an existential middle ground. We experience it when a balance is achieved between abilities and responsibilities, when the skills we possess are roughly commensurate with the challenges we face, when our talents are neither underused nor overtaxed. Flow emerges in circumstances that are perceived as both problematic and soluble.

Beyond flow are two conditions. Both represent a state of imbalance between challenge and skill. When this imbalance is brief, temporary, or task-specific, we refer to the ensuing responses as boredom or anxiety. The impact of this short-term imbalance is minimal.