Individual Presentation within an Invited Symposium International Positive Psychology Association 8th IPPA World Congress 2023

Flow as a force for good: Can flow experiences help deliver sustainable prosperity? (#97)

Amy Isham 1
  1. Swansea University, -, United Kingdom

Flow experiences have been shown to have many beneficial consequences. However, thus far most of these benefits have been confined to individual wellbeing and performance-related factors. This talk will explore how the benefits of flow may extend beyond the self to include more pro-social and pro-ecological outcomes. At a time when the world is experiencing a climate crisis, high levels of social inequality, and increasing cases of poor mental health, it is vital that we, as positive psychologists, investigate how flow could be used to support transitions towards more rewarding, fair, and sustainable lifestyles. This talk will give an overview of existing research on these topics and highlight both planned and recommended future directions. It will examine the environmental impacts of flow experiences in relation to the types of activities in which they tend to take place, plus share data demonstrating the effects of frequent flow experiences on the strength of pro-social and pro-ecological values. As well as discussing the extent to which flow experiences might impact the environment, it will also consider how the environment could influence both the experience of flow and its consequences. Here, we can consider the impacts of social versus solitary flow plus features of the physical environment such as access to nature or urban design. With the intention to use flow to support transitions to prosperous lifestyles, it is also important to consider how our current lifestyles may make flow less achievable. To this end, research examining how features of modern societies such as materialism and neoliberalism may (or may not) undermine flow will be discussed. Overall, this presentation hopes to encourage further exploration and collaboration to better understand how flow can be used to help deliver sustainable prosperity for all.

  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Flow, Life span development, Sustainability