How to enter flow state

翻译人员: Cloe Peng 校对人员: Jacky He

A tennis player wins her second straight set,

这位网球运动员连赢两局，

feeling like she can predict her opponent's next move.

像她能预判对手的动作一样。

A musician works to master a chord progression,

这位音乐家用心练习和弦进行，

unfazed by mistakes as he repeatedly plays the same four bars.

弹着同样的四小节，不怕犯错。

A scientist fails to notice her morning alarm blare from the next room,

这位科学家彻夜分析数据，

having analyzed data through the night.

没听到早晨隔壁房间的闹铃声。

While each of these people is immersed in a different activity,

尽管这几个人沉浸在不同的活动中，

requiring specific skills and knowledge sets,

有着不同技能和知识体系的要求，

all three are experiencing what is known as flow—

他们都在经历所谓的“心流”，

a unique mental state of effortless engagement.

一种流畅自如的思维状态。

And while you may not be a scientist or professional athlete,

虽然你可能不是科学家或职业运动员，

anyone can find flow.

但是你有时也会处于这种状态

This is a good thing,

这是件好事。

as those who more frequently experience flow report higher levels

因为那些经常经历心流的人

of positive emotions, creativity, and feelings of accomplishment.

会更加具备积极情绪、 创造力和成就感。

Further, research has linked it to increased productivity,

此外，研究反映了心流和高效率、

enhanced learning, and academic achievement.

学习提升以及学术成的联系。

But what exactly is flow? And how can we find it in our daily lives?

但心流到底是什么？我们怎么 在日常生活中达到这种状态呢？

Flow is more than just concentrating or paying attention.

心流不仅仅是专注或者集中注意力。

Psychologists go so far as to define flow as an altered state of consciousness

心理学家甚至将心流 定义为意识状态的改变，

with several defining features.

包含数个显著特征：

First, those in flow tend to feel so effortlessly engaged in a task

首先，心流状态的人经常 毫不费力地参与任务中，

that time seems to fly by.

时间似乎飞速流逝。

They are not easily distracted.

他们很难分心。

In contrast with cycles of procrastination,

与拖延的习惯相比，

when it can feel impossible to start an activity,

即难以开始一项任务，

during flow it can feel difficult to stop.

心流状态下是难以停止。

Flow also tends to diminish feelings of worry or self-judgment,

心流状态也容易

减少焦虑或自我批判的想法，

in turn fostering creativity.

从而促进创造力的产生。

And people report experiencing a sense of oneness with what they’re doing,

而且，人们表示他们体验到了

与自己的工作合为一体的感觉，

allowing for peak performance.

从而达到了最高效率。

Further, brain imaging studies have shown that flow is accompanied by changes

此外，脑成像研究显示，

心流伴随着神经活动的变化，

in neural activity,

notably in regions that play a role

尤其是在负责注意力、自我认知

in attention, self-awareness, and self-consciousness.

和自我意识的区域。

Despite decades of research, many questions still remain.

尽管进行为期数十年的研究，

许多疑问仍然存在。

How do the brains of those in flow compare

与其他意识状态，例如冥想相比，

to those in other states of consciousness, like meditation?

心流状态的大脑有何不同？

Does flow arising from physical activities like sports

体育运动产生的特定状态

recruit the same brain areas as more mental tasks like writing or math?

与脑力运动，如写作和算数， 涉及同样的大脑区域吗？

And scientists are still working to understand why certain activities

科学家们仍在试图 了解为什么某些活动

are more likely to elicit flow than others.

比其他那些更有可能引发心流。

While we don't know for sure, there are several theories.

虽然我们尚不清楚原因，

存在几个理论。

For example, people more often report finding flow when doing things

例如，人们参与自己 认为激励性的活动，

they find intrinsically motivating,

即他们觉得有意义，享受的活动时

经常地进入心流状态。

meaning activities they find purpose, meaning, or enjoyment in.

This may include participating in a favorite hobby,

这可能是参与最喜欢的爱好，

but also tackling gratifying assignments at work,

但也可能是在工作中 处理令人满意的任务，

studying topics you find interesting, or even completing satisfying chores.

学习你感兴趣的东西

甚至完成令人愉悦的家务。

Likewise, it may be more difficult to find flow in tasks you do

相反地，你完成硬性任务时

only because you have to, not because you want to.

更难进入心流。

Other research suggests balancing personal skill level

另外有研究表明，个人水平

with the activity’s challenge is key for finding flow.

与活动要求的匹配度 是寻得心流的关键。

In other words, if a task is too easy, you may get distracted or feel bored.

换句话说，如果任务太简单，

你可能会分心或感到无聊。

If it’s too challenging, you may become discouraged.

如果任务太具挑战性， 你可能会灰心丧气。

The classically mesmerizing game of Tetris, for example,

例如，经典的俄罗斯方块游戏，

keeps skill-challenge levels in balance by increasing the fall speed of blocks

通过增加方块的下落速度来平衡

as players get better at the game.

玩家水平的进步。

Still, other studies suggest that it’s most important

另外，其他研究显示最为重要的是

that activities have clear goals

活动具有着清晰的目标

and allow you to assess your progress along the way.

并且在过程中使你 看到你的提升。

For example, practicing a song allows you to gauge your performance

例如，练习歌曲时， 每个音调之后都能

with each note.

评估自己的表现。

This also may be why people find flow when playing games of chance,

这也许是为什么人们在 玩概率游戏时会感到心流，

even though those games don't require skill.

即使这些游戏不需要技巧。

Moment-to-moment feedback may be enough to motivate deep engagement.

即时反馈也许足以激发深度参与。

While no single protocol can guarantee flow,

虽然没有固定的方式 保证实现心流，

there are steps you can take to increase your chances.

一些步骤可以增加你的成功机会。

Find a quiet environment free from distracting noises or devices.

找到一个安静的环境，

远离干扰你的噪音或设备。

Break your tasks into small, specific segments that are easy to track

将你的任务拆为细微且具体的部分

and learn from.

便于追踪和改进。

Set clear end goals that are challenging but not frustratingly so.

设定明确的终极目标，要有挑战性

但不至于让人灰心。

如果你觉得任务很乏味，

If you find the task to be tedious,

set additional parameters to up the stakes.

可以设定额外的参数加大难度。

For example, when cleaning your dishes,

例如，当你在洗碗时，

attempt to finish them all in a certain amount of time.

尝试在规定的时间内 完成所有的清洗工作。

When running, try to keep pace with the beat of a song.

跑步时，尝试与一首歌的节奏同步。

Most importantly, and perhaps most frustratingly,

最重要的是， 也可能是最为矛盾的，

don't focus too much on reaching flow.

不要过于专注达成心流的状态。

That sort of distraction might just prevent you from finding it.

这样的压力可能恰恰会阻止 你找到心流状态。