Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-
SENT-me-high) refers to the feeling Nick described as a flow state:
being fully immersed, holding an energized focus, full involve-
ment, and enjoyment of the moment. In a flow state, a person is
hyper-focused and connected to what they are doing. Their emo-
tions are channeled, and they feel joy in the present.
Csikszentmihalyi suggests that, in this state, a person is “comple-
tely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time
flies. Every action, movement, and thought flows inevitably from
the previous one, like playing jazz. Their whole being is involved
and they’re using their skills to the utmost.”^1 Csikszentmihalyi
calls it “optimal experience.” Most others refer to it as being in
“the zone.”
Turns out that flow is good for us, too. Adults who spend
more time in flow are happier overall,^2 and they tend to be more
cheerful, satisfied, creative, and have higher self-esteem.^3 Flow
gives us enjoyment, and makes it easier to deal with stress.^4 Flow
also enhances learning,^5 which could come in handy for thrill-
seeking activities. Being in a flow state helps us notice little specific
patterns in our environment, so we know exactly when to push the
X button for the jump in Mario Cart and precisely when to deploy
our parachute when jumping from a bridge. Just like Nick says, flow
forces us to be in the now and flow also changes us.
Being in the zone can be addictive. Nick agrees, “If I don’t do
it for a period of time, I get stressed out and antsy, and I need to fly
off of something.” Nick high-fived me and climbed over the railing
as nonchalantly as if he were stepping over a puddle on the side-
walk. Then, with no hesitation, he jumped.
It actually wasn’t so much of a jump as a release. He gave
himself to the air and fell.
But things didn’t go as planned. Although this was the first
time I had seen someone plummet from a bridge, even I thought his
parachute opened a little late. “I knew it as it was happening,” he
said later. “I bought the parachute for $25 off of a friend. It’s an old
skydiving reserve that’s older than I am. It just took longer to open
than I figured. It’s taking longer to open, so you continue to accel-
erate and free fall. I’m watching the ground rush up and it’s almost
like an eerie, surreal feeling. In a way, you’re scared, but in another
way you are really calm and taking it in. You’re like, ‘This is what’s
happening and I’m along for the ride,’ you know?”
I didn’t.29 / Born to Be WildDownloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:20:40, subject to the Cambridge