An introduction to a lecture

Listen to the introduction of a psychology lecture to practise and improve your listening skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation

Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the first lecture of our new course in Positive Psychology. While some people may associate psychology with looking at what's wrong with us, and at what problems we have, there is much more to psychology than that. Positive psychology, for example, looks at how to help people become happier.

This lecture begins with a question: what makes a happy life?

Now, I'm going to give you one possible answer. A happy life is a life in which you are completely absorbed in what you do. Now, how does this compare with what you and your partner said?

This answer comes from the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the theory of flow. Csikszentmihalyi is a psychologist who has spent much of his professional life on the study of what makes people happy and how we can find happiness.

Csikszentmihalyi suggests the theory that happiness is not caused by external events or things that happen to us. Our perception of these things and how we see these events either makes us happy or sad. In other words, if we want happiness, we have to actively look for it. However, this does not mean that we should always look for happiness! Csikszentmihalyi believed that our happiest moments happen when we are in a state of flow.

The theory of flow can be summarised like this: when we are totally involved in, or focused on, what we are doing, we are in a state of flow.

Csikszentmihalyi got the inspiration for this theory when he noticed how artists worked in a studio. They completely lost track of time, they didn't notice they were hungry or tired, and they could work for hours, even days, without stopping. Anyone I have spoken to who has experienced this state of concentration has said it's difficult to explain. The best way to explain it is that it is like being in a river and the flow of the water carries you away.

For the rest of this lecture, I will explore this theory of flow in more detail. First we will look at Csikszentmihalyi's life, and how it influenced his ideas. Then we will look at the conditions that go with a state of flow. What creates flow, exactly? Finally, we will look at activities that can help us achieve flow in our everyday lives. Will this course make you happy for life? Well, maybe. Maybe.

Right, let's get started. If you look at the next slide …

Task 1

ReorderingVertical_MjMzNDM=.xml

Task 2

TrueOrFalse_MjMzNDQ=.xml

Discussion

Have you ever been in a 'state of flow' while doing an activity?

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Language level

B1 Intermediate

Yes, of course. For example I love historical novels, especially set in the Middle Age and during the reading I totally lose the track of time. That's why it's better for me to do this activity at night or in the week end. I add that I couldn't survive without my Kindle!

i felt an "state of flow" during the gig of my favourite rock ban oasis! this was las year in buenos aires

Yes. When I usually run at Marathons, I really enter the state of flow by stabilizing my breath while I run. This type of focus lets me enter it and achieve my goal of today.

Happiness activities, such as working out or shopping really make me losing of track about time and keep going what I like for unlimited period. This theory ' The State of Flow' is true when people are busy with something make them to be absorbed, they are going to feel happy directly. That reflects how children like to play video games a lot because they feel happy and the adrenaline hormone is going to increase in their body and giving them a state of flow.

Sure, I have been in state of flow when I am playing games and watching drama. I just fully focus on it and forget to eat and sleep. I used to fall in the flow when I read books, but it is difficult for me to do it now.

Have you ever been in a 'state of flow' while doing an activity?
Yes, I have. When I am singing a song, I have been in a state of flow. Because it makes me feel happy. At the time, I can’t hear anything, I don’t know everything. I mean I loss my sense of time.

Yes, I have. When I’m focused on taking photos, I’m usually in a state of flow because I don’t notice the passage of time. It is really curious because I have that feeling when I practice photography, which is my greatest passion.

I wonder how I’ve found myself in a state of flow while practicing grammar. I never thought that I could reach that stage in learning process because I used to skipped homework during my student life.

Yes, but not frequently; I've been flowing during a creative work that captures my mind and my spirit, such as, when I write or I study intentionally to improve something around my job.