Google has honoured a pioneering psychologist who is hailed for developing the idea of the human flow state.
A mural of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi is adorning the search engine’s homepage today (Friday, September 29), for what would be his 89th birthday — the psychologist having died in 2021.
Google reserves its Doodles to celebrate the achievements of those who have made a great contribution to the world.
The design on Friday will be shown in the UK, as well as the US, parts of Latin America and Europe — including Hungary, where his parents hailed from.
Who is Mihály Csíkszentmihályi?
Mr Csíkszentmihályi led a study of happiness and creativity as well as coming up with the term “flow”, which is commonly used by psychologists and wellness teachers today.
Born on September 29, in 1934, Mr Csikszentmihalyi grew up in Fiume in what was then Italy but is now called Rijeka and considered to be in Croatia. His family has Hungarian roots and in his youth he experienced poverty as they travelled around to make a living. At one point. Mr Csikszentmihalyi helped his father run a restaurant in Rome.
“The profound suffering that Csíkszentmihályi witnessed during the war inspired him to dedicate his life to understanding the science of happiness,” Google stated.
“He turned to art, philosophy, and religion as he sought answers.”
Having studied the works of Carl Jung, Mr Csíkszentmihályi set sail for the University of Chicago when he was 22, where he was inspired to study psychology.
What is Flow?
Looking to focus on happiness and productivity, his early conceptual ideas of what would later come to be called flow came from observing painters.
He noticed they were so absorbed in their work that they lost track of time and would neglect food, water, and sleep.
Mr Csíkszentmihályi graduated with a PhD in Positive Developmental Psychology in 1965, having developed early models for flow, which he named from observing the running of water. He continued his research after graduating and Mr Csíkszentmihályi’s book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, was published in 1990. It has become a revolution, cited to this day from professors to productivity trend influencers and YouTubers. The book has been translated into more than 20 languages.
“Business leaders, presidents, and sports coaches have praised its scientific insights into the nature of productivity and well-being,” Google added.
After his studies finished, Mr Csíkszentmihályi continued living in the US with his wife, Isabella Selega. They had two sons who have also pursued academics.
Mr Csíkszentmihályi died at his home in Claremont, California, at the age of 87 on October 20, 2021.
