Using Interest as an Additional Precondition for Achieving Flow

• In Event: Current Approaches to Interest Measurement

Abstract

Using Experience Sampling Method data, this study shows how moment-to-moment self-reports of interest are correlated with other social-emotional subjective states. The study demonstrates that the inclusion of interest in the operationalization of flow increases the statistical association between flow and enjoyment, particularly for older adolescents and adults. Previous empirical studies have shown that the experience of flow—defined as an activity that matches high skill and high challenge—is almost always highly correlated with a number of subjective emotional states, including concentration and enjoyment. However, adult workers seldom experience enjoyment while in flow, a phenomenon called the workflow paradox.

Authors

• Walter Cook, Michigan State University

• Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University