Abstract
One of the crucial aspects of optimal experience is complete absorption and focus of attention on the ongoing task. This peculiar psychological feature, and its chief importance within the phenomenology of Flow, makes it legitimate to inquire about the analogy between optimal experience and the states of meditation that are triggered by the concentration of attention on one single object. Such states have been systematically explored within the several philosophical systems and wisdom traditions developed in ancient India, which provided amazingly deep investigations of human psychological functions and consciousness processes. The main goal of this chapter is to highlight the shared and divergent components of optimal experience and meditation, and to contextualize their phenomenological analysis within cultural and epistemological dimensions. Due to the paucity of research on this topic, this should be considered the first step towards a better comprehension of the relationships between Flow and the meditative state, thus opening the way for more accurate and systematic investigation.
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Delle Fave, A., Massimini, F., Bassi, M. (2011). Optimal Experience and Meditation: Western and Asian Approaches to Well-Being. In: Psychological Selection and Optimal Experience Across Cultures. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9876-4_6
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