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Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives. [editor summary]

Part psychological study, part self-help book, Finding Flow is a prescriptive guide that helps us reclaim ownership of our lives. Based on a far-reaching study of thousands of individuals, Finding Flow contends that we often walk through our days unaware and out of touch with our emotional lives. Our inattention makes us constantly bounce between two extremes: during much of the day we live filled with the anxiety and pressures of our work and obligations, while during our leisure moments, we tend to live in passive boredom. The key, according to Csikszentmihalyi, is to challenge ourselves with tasks requiring a high degree of skill and commitment. Instead of watching television, play the piano. Transform a routine task by taking a different approach. In short, learn the joy of complete engagement. Thought they appear simple, the lessons in Finding Flow are life-altering.

Qu'est-ce qui fait la spécificité d'un individu créatif? Y a-t-il un âge plus propice à la créativité? Quelles conditions favorisent son éclosion? Peut-on apprendre à devenir plus créatif? Poursuivant ses recherches, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi se penche sur le processus créatif qu'il place au centre de cette expérience optimale développée dans ses précédents livres Vivre et Mieux vivre. Au travers des témoignages de quatre-vingt-onze individus exceptionnels - écrivains, artistes en tout genre, scientifiques, chercheurs, politiques, acteurs ou chefs d'entreprise - suivis pendant cinq ans, le psychologue explore ici toutes les facettes, y compris les plus surprenantes, du processus créatif et nous donne les outils pour insuffler une étincelle créative jusque dans les champs les plus inattendus de notre vie quotidienne.