252 NOTES
showed that if people were asked to do without their usual routines, such
as tapping their fingers, doodling, whistling, or joking with friends,
within a matter of hours they would become irritable. Frequently they
would report loss of control and disruption of behavior after only a day
of microflow deprivation. Few people were able or willing to do without
these small routines for more than 24 hours.52- The balanced ratio between challenges and skills was recognized
53 from the very beginning as one of the central conditions of the flow
experience (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi 1975, pp. 49-54). The original model
assumed that enjoyment would occur along the entire diagonal, that is,
when challenges and skills were both very low, as well as when they were
both very high. Empirical research findings later led to a modification
of the model. People did not enjoy situations in which their skills and
the outside challenges were both lower than their accustomed levels,
The new model predicts flow only when challenges and skills are rela
tively in balance, and above the individual’s mean level—and this pre
diction is confirmed by the studies conducted with the Experience Sam
pling Method (Carli 1986, Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura 1989
Massimini, Csikszentmihalyi, & Carli 1987). In addition, these studies
have shown that the condition of anxiety (high challenge, low skills) is
relatively rare in everyday life, and it is experienced as much more
negative than the condition of boredom (low challenge, high skills).53 “Your concentration... “You are so involved... and
“... the concentration ..are from Csikszentmihalyi (1975, p. 39).
“Her reading.. .” is from Allison and Duncan (1988, p. 129). The
relationship between focused attention and enjoyment was clearly per
ceived four centuries ago by Montaigne (1580 [1958], p. 853): “I enjoy... [life] twice as much as others, for the measure of enjoyment depends
on the greater or lesser attention that we lend it.”
54 “The mystique of rock climbing ...” is from Csikszentmihalyi (1975,
pp. 47-48).55 “I find special satisfaction ..is from Delle Fave & Massimini (1988,
p. 197). “I... experienced a sense of satisfaction ..is from Hiscock
(1968, p. 45), and “Each time.. is from Moitessier (1971, p. 159);
the last two are cited in Macbeth (1988, p. 228).55- Painting. The distinction between more and less original artists is that
56 the former start painting with a general and often vague idea of what
they want to accomplish, while the latter tend to start with a clearly
visualized picture in mind. Thus original artists must discover as they go
along what it is that they will do, using feedback from the developing
work to suggest new approaches. The less original artists end up painting