Is being in a state of “flow” the same as being in a state of hyperfocus?

Flow (as first described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) is almost always considered a good thing. By contrast, hyperfocus in the context of attention deficit disorder is sometimes considered good, like when we’re deeply and fully engaged with an important task for however long it takes to do a careful job right, whether that job is heart surgery or painting a room. But sometimes hyperfocus is considered bad, like when we get stuck aimlessly websurfing for hours at a time, or when we’re so absorbed in a task that we fail to notice where we’re walking.

Matt at 37Signals has a great blog summarizing Csiksentmihaly’s thoughts on Flow, which I’ll quote in part here:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” describes flow as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

Csikszentmihalyi’s ideas on flow stemmed from his attempt to discover a path to happiness. He wanted to figure out “how to live life as a work of art, rather than as a chaotic response to external events.”

“Flow” & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discusses what it feels like to be in flow:

* Completely involved, focused, concentrating – with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training.
* Sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality.
* Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going.
* Knowing the activity is doable – that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored.
* Sense of serenity – no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego – afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible.
* Timeliness – thoroughly focused on present, don’t notice time passing.
* Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces “flow” becomes its own reward.

– source: All About Flow at 37Signals.com

Let’s compare this with a few definitions of hyperfocus.

Here’s a positive description from Dr. Kenny Handleman in “Hyperfocus” at ADDADHDblog.com:

My definition of hyperfocus is: the ability to completely and utterly focus on one topic or issue, often to the exclusion of others, with precise and productive concentration, until the end result is achieved.

In a 1993 article at ADD.org, Dr. Ed Hallowell describes his own hyperfocus without a strongly positive or negative tone in the context of a trip to the museum:

The way I go through a museum is the way some people go through Filene’s basement. Some of this, some of that, oh, this one looks nice, but what about that rack over there? Gotta hurry, gotta run. It’s not that I don’t like art. I love art. But my way of loving it makes most people think I’m a real Philistine. On the other hand, sometimes I can sit and look at one painting for a long while. I’ll get into the world of the painting and buzz around in there until I forget about everything else. In these moments I, like most people with ADD, can hyperfocus, which gives the lie to the notion that we can never pay attention. Sometimes we have turbocharged focusing abilities. It just depends upon the situation.

Other commenters on hyperfocus (for example, contributors to the Wikipedia article on hyperfocus) point to its negative aspects using language “people with ADHD have the ability to hyperfocus, such as the well-recognised comorbidity of ADHD with autism spectrum disorders, of which excessive focus is a part.” and “Schools and parents generally expect obedience from children and reward them for it, but hyperfocused children do not always cooperate under these circumstances.” (Wikipedia entry as of 5 December 2007).

My take on this is that while Flow and Hyperfocus (as commonly understood right now) share characteristics, but aren’t the same thing.  While we adults with attention deficit disorder may experience both flow and hyperfocus from time to time, we may find it useful to pay attention to the subtleties of each experience so that we know which one we’re grooving in, and how we got there.  With this knowledge, we might have a chance at choosing whether and when to attempt a repeat engagement.

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