Researchers have a formula for getting in the flow

Artificial intelligence programmers and human resource departments alike are eager to find ways to cultivate the flow of creativity and productivity that is associated with playing sports, making art, or working.

Is it possible to order up the ingredients to get a subjective experience?

Yale University psychologists say that they have developed a mathematical theory of flow and argue that it is possible to enhance engagement in almost any task by manipulating a few key variables.

Ryan Carlson, an associate research scientist in marketing at the Yale School of Management, and David Melnikoff, an associate research scientist in psychology at Northeastern University, published their formula in the journal Nature Communications.

The underlying principles of flow are not random and work within a biological system that can be described in mathematical terms, according to the corresponding author of the paper.

The basic equation underlying their theory of flow is very simple and shows mutual information between desired end states and means of attaining them. They use exercise as an example to show the concept.

People who exercise lose five pounds. jogging is a means of attaining end state for people. Whether they jog frequently or not is an indication of whether they will achieve their end state.

Melnikoff said that the more informative a means is, the more flow someone will experience.

Exercise companies such as Peloton are able to create an experience that is highly informative. They use exercise output to rank users on leader boards, which dramatically increases the amount of information riders get from their means of exercising.

There are thousands of positions on the leader board where a rider could finish, and the rider's performance reveals which of these end states will occur. When did exercising allow you to rule out thousands of possible end states?

Artificial intelligence programmers want to maximize I(M;E). Artificial intelligence experts are trying to build machines that behave like people in flow states, according to the authors.

According to Melnikoff, Carlson, and Stillman, the formula for flow can improve performance for almost any task, a potentially valuable tool for human resource departments seeking to increase worker interest and productivity. They realize there are limitations to using these principles to improve outcomes of tasks.

Melnikoff knows a master gardener who has a passion for creating beautiful landscapes, but he doesn't share it.

The means of gardening do not provide any information. He said that he already knew the end state.

More information: David E. Melnikoff et al, A computational theory of the subjective experience of flow, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29742-2 Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Researchers have a formula for getting in the flow (2022, April 26) retrieved 27 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-formula.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.