The Experiential Incompatibility of Mindfulness and Flow Absorption. (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sheldon, Kennon M.; Prentice, Mike; Halusic, Marc
• Is Part Of: Social psychological & personality science. Volume 6:Number 3(2015:Apr.)
• Page Start: 276
• Page End: 283
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: agency -- health -- self-regulation -- personality -- motivation and performance; Personality -- Periodicals; Social psychology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 155.2
• DOI: 10.1177/1948550614555028
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1948-5506

Abstract

Mindfulness and flow are both beneficial states of mind, but are they difficult to experience simultaneously? After all, flow involves losing self-awareness within an activity, and mindfulness involves maintaining self-awareness throughout or even despite an activity. In three studies, we examine this potential antagonism, finding negative associations between mindfulness and flow as assessed in a variety of ways and contexts. These associations emerged within Global trait data and diary data concerning daily goal behavior (Study 1), experience-sampling data concerning behavior at the time of signaling (Study 2), and experimental data concerning the experience of playing the flow-conducive computer game, Tetris, after undergoing a mindfulness induction (Study 3). However, these associations only apply to the "absorption" aspect of flow, not the "sense of control" aspect.