Flow

FLOWThe Psychology of ProgrammingThe Psychology of ProgrammingThe Psychology of ProgrammingThe Psychology of Programming

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Erik Ralston

BIS BoF

February 18th, 2010

What is Flow?

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What is Flow?

A psychological state of high performance concentration

Often experienced during applied creativity (art, music, programming)

Generally a “happy” or “ecstatic” state for the participant

Identified by Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi

(me-HIGH chick-sent-me-HIGH-ee)(me-HIGH chick-sent-me-HIGH-ee)

Characterized by absentmindedness

Merging of action and awareness

Narrowing of external perception

Loss of time perception

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Who uses flow?

Athletes – Sports psychology is about combining mental and physical technique to achieve flow.

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Who uses flow?

Musicians – Sight-reading and improvisational performance rely on merged thought and action.

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Who uses flow?

Game Designers – Flow provides the positive emotions associated with game experiences.

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Who uses flow?

Martial Artists – Mushin – “No Mind” – Chinese word for zen-like mental state in combat and practice

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What is like FLOW (but not)?Fascination – The total perception of only a single stimulus

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What is like FLOW (but not)?Highway Hypnosis – The mental state achieved during driving (or other tasks) releasing the conscious mind from repetition

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What is like FLOW (but not)?Mania – A psychotic state of racing thought

Stems from dysfunction in the brain

Bi-Polar patients “enjoy” mania

Manic individuals often stop taking

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Manic individuals often stop taking drugs in order to return to “the high”

How do I “Use The FLOW”?

To a certain extent, flow is about overwhelming the mind

Immersive – Activity must be intense and multi-faceted

Automaticity – Details of actions are sub-conscious

Instant Gratification – Feedback is immediate

Incremental progress is immediately perceptibleIncremental progress is immediately perceptible

Familiarity – Do it using a language & technology you know

Comfort – Good ergonomics, personalized surroundings, and full stomach

Listen to music

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The Flow Channel

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Experience & Flow

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Flow Channel & Learning

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What stops FLOW?

Confusion (No Control) - I don’t know why or what I am doing

Coercion (No Control) – I don’t WANT to do what I’m doing

Frustration (No Rewards) – What I do doesn’t help!

Boredom (No Challenge) – One tunes out during menial tasks, they don’t flow!they don’t flow!

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How does FLOW help programming?

Connects coding to happiness; making it exciting not boring

Integrates thinking and coding into one mental process

Allows intuitive parts of brain to manage complexityAllows intuitive parts of brain to manage complexity

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Addicted to Flow

Flow causes “workaholics” and video game addiction

Drugs seek to replicate what Flow does naturally

Do not choose Flow instead of life

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How does PNNL promote FLOW?

Policies for employee engagement

Control - “At work, do your opinions seem to count”

Challenge - “In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?”

Reward (Extrinsic) – “In the last seven days, have you Reward (Extrinsic) – “In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?”

Reward (Intrinsic) - “At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”

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Questions?

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THANK YOU!And May The Flow Be With You

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