The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

Lyubomirsky discusses the importance of living in the present moment and presents two strategies, flow and savoring, that promote this state of mind and contribute to happiness. Flow, as coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of deep absorption and involvement in the present activity, such that individuals are fully concentrated, challenged, and unselfconscious. Lyubomirsky emphasizes the balance between skills and challenges as key to experiencing flow. Engaging in flow not only provides immediate pleasure but also encourages individuals to seek out more challenging activities to maintain this state, while promoting personal growth and development.

Furthermore, Lyubomirsky explains the significance of living in the present, given that external circumstances are constantly changing and evolving. To achieve this state, she suggests readers take proactive steps toward focusing on the present moment. She presents strategies such as controlling attention, adopting new values, transforming routine tasks, and finding flow in conversations, all of which are in line with the book’s overall theme of Personal Agency in Happiness. The chapter encourages individuals to seek out activities that provide a sense of engagement and satisfaction and, in turn, promote a meaningful and fulfilling life.