The Meaning Of Work
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The science of happiness at work

"If you find a job you love, you'll never work again."
Winston Churchill

 

If 1/3 of my waking hours are to be spent at work, it's important I find a job that makes me happy.

Not buying the hippy mumbo jumbo that all I need is a grass skirt, good vibes and flowers in my hair, I turned to science for some answers. I discovered a new field of science called Positive Psychology. Here, happiness has been scrutinised in methodical studies. 

Here is what I learned...

 

Flow and Happiness

Flow

Flow is not a smiley, giggly type of happiness. Instead, it is one of complete absorption. We are so focused on a particular task that time stands still. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the book, Flow: The Psychology of Happiness explains that this state occurs when ‘attention is on a limited stimulus field’ and when ‘there is full concentration, complete involvement’.

Being in a state of flow means we are so fantastically absorbed that we are happy regardless of what’s going on around us. There is no spare capacity to worry or entertain negative thoughts, we lose ourselves and time gets distorted.

We generally experience flow when we are doing things that we are good at. The trick is to be working at a level that is challenging but not so difficult that it leads to anxiety. It should also be not so easy that that it leads to apathy:

When we are working at this level, we get into the ‘flow channel’. The more we practice, the more skillful we get, which means we have to challenge ourselves more. The further we move along the flow channel, the more intense the experience becomes.

Csikszentmihalyi says that the key to happiness is filling our lives with activities in which we experience flow. Flow is most commonly experienced in sport, music and at work.

In order to fill our lives with flow, first we need to know where we can find it. I decided to spend a few minutes thinking about the times I have been in a state of flow:

When we are in a state of flow we are exceptionally efficient. Finding flow at work is therefore mutually beneficial to both our general wellbeing and our productivity. Looking at my list, I sadly don’t stand a realistic chance of experiencing flow as a professional racing driver. However, there is plenty of scope at work for technical design, mathematical problem solving and writing. Finding work that means I can dedicate a significant part of my day to experiencing flow in these areas should do wonders for my productivity and general wellbeing.

NB: We've already learned that today life is full of distractions. Phone calls, emails, notifications, meetings. These distractions remove us from the state of flow - yet another reason to shut out the noise and avoid checking your phone every 5 minutes...

Outcome

  • Flow is an optimal psychological state in which we feel completely absorbed

  • Finding flow at work makes us happier and more productive
Matthew Simmonds