Flow
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
★ Top 5 book of 1990 · #5 on Best Books of 1990
A psychologist explores what makes an experience truly satisfying and names the state of flow, marked by deep enjoyment and creativity. He argues this state can be cultivated deliberately by shaping what enters our consciousness, improving life quality.
Best for: Anyone wanting practical psychology on finding happiness and improving daily life
Flow is #5 on BookWard's Best Books of 1990, out of 39 1990 books that cleared our data bar.
What Flow is about
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied what he calls optimal experience, and Flow presents what he found. A truly satisfying moment, he argues, is a state he names flow, in which people feel deep enjoyment, creativity and total involvement with what they are doing.
The book's central claim is that flow is not simply luck. It can be cultivated by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, and doing so can improve quality of life and lead toward real happiness. Optimistic in tone, it will help anyone curious about focus, motivation and why some activities feel richly rewarding while others leave us flat. Readers looking for a thoughtful, research-based approach to living better will find it useful.
Flow on the Best Books of 1990
Flow came out in 1990. Of the 39 books first published in 1990 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #5 on our Best Books of 1990 list.
Why it made the list: 717 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings); 34 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1990 list
- The Eye of the World Robert Jordan, #3
- The Witching Hour Anne Rice, #4
- The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien, #6
- Little Girl Lost Drew Barrymore, #7
See all Best Books of 1990 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1991.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 636 want to read it, 34 are reading it now and 47 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 37 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 92 | 55% |
| Reader love | 54 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 90 | 20% |
Questions about Flow
When was Flow published?
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was first published in 1990.
Was Flow one of the best books of 1990?
Flow is #5 on BookWard's Best Books of 1990, out of 39 1990 books that cleared our data bar. 717 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings); 34 are reading it right now.
Why is Flow on the Best Books of 1990 list?
717 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings); 34 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1990
- Good Omens Terry Pratchett, #1
- Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, #2
- The Eye of the World Robert Jordan, #3
- The Witching Hour Anne Rice, #4
- The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien, #6
- Little Girl Lost Drew Barrymore, #7
See the full Best Books of 1990, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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