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Social Flow

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Advances in Flow Research

Abstract

If you have played on an exceptional soccer or basketball team or were part of a highly engaging and productive business meeting, you may have experienced social flow. If you have been spellbound by the graceful synchrony of ice dancers, or awestruck by the flawless performance of a symphony, you may have witnessed social flow. If you have had these or similar experiences, you may agree that social flow is not the same as solitary flow. Solitary flow is an individual psychological phenomenon; social flow is a social psychological phenomenon. Both forms of flow explain intrinsic motivation and absorption; however, solitary flow is autotelic, where as social flow is syntelic. Social flow is a shared, contagious form of flow associated with highly interdependent and collaborative group processes. It is both a cause and an effect of synchronized performance within a human group. People who experience social flow enjoy it and want to repeat it. In this chapter I will further clarify the differences between social and solitary flow, describe the preconditions and group processes that cause and sustain social flow and the consequences and outcomes that document it has been achieved. Some practical applications of social flow will be discussed, and some provocative implications of social flow will be suggested for the enhancement of human performance in sports, arts, business and leisure activities.

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  1. Department of Psychology, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY, USA

    Charles J. Walker

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

    Corinna Peifer

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany

    Stefan Engeser

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Walker, C.J. (2021). Social Flow. In: Peifer, C., Engeser, S. (eds) Advances in Flow Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_10

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