A Scoping Review of Flow Research

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Flow is a state of deep absorption in challenging activities, first conceptualized by Csikszentmihalyi in 1975.
• Interest in flow research has significantly increased, yet a systematic review of studies between 2000 and 2016 was lacking.
• Understanding the antecedents and consequences of flow is crucial for various fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of flow research published between 2000 and 2016.
• To develop a framework for categorizing flow studies.
• To provide a systematic overview of existing findings and suggest future research directions.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search and review of 252 studies on the flow concept published from 2000 to 2016.
• Development of a three-level framework: Individual (personality, motivation, physiology, emotion, cognition, behavior), Contextual (contextual and interindividual factors), and Cultural.
• Systematic presentation of findings within each category of the framework.

Main Results:

• The review established a comprehensive framework to cluster flow research into individual, contextual, and cultural levels.
• A systematic overview of findings across various categories, including personality, motivation, context, and culture, was presented.
• The analysis highlighted progress in understanding flow but identified gaps in causal knowledge.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework provides a structured approach to understanding the multifaceted nature of flow.
• Further experimental and longitudinal studies are essential to elucidate the causal relationships within flow experiences.
• Future research should explore the interplay of individual, contextual, and cultural factors influencing flow states.