European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Concentration i likened to euphoric states of mind saturday May 3, 1986 cerebrum the stars and stripes Page 17 Central Elhura by Daniel Goleman new York times t he seemingly simple actor being fully absorbed in challenging task is now being seen As Akin to some of the extravagantly euphoric states such As those sought in drugs or sex or through the runner s  new research is leading to the conclusion that these instances of absorption Are in effect altered states in which the mind functions at its Peak time is often distorted and a sense of happiness seems to pervade the moment. Such states the new research suggests Are accompanied by mental efficiency experienced As a feeling of. Effortless Ness. One team of researchers describes these moments of absorption As flow  according to Mike  a psychologist at the University of Chicago flow refers to those limes when things seem to go just right when you feel alive and fully attentive to what you Are  the understanding that deep absorption can be transporting will not come As news to those who readily sink into rapture at a symphony or while Reading poetry but the new research adds precision in defining the circumstances that evoke such heightened awareness. The Chicago research on flow which has been under Way for More than a decade began with a study of people performing at their Peak. Basketball players composers dancers chess masters Rock climbers surgeons and others were asked to describe in detail times when they had outdone themselves. One of the elements that was invariably present in these descriptions was Lull absorption in the activity at hand an attention that was finely attuned to the shifting demands of the moment. Along with a full absorption people in flow described a set of experiences that taken together suggest an altered state of consciousness. These include a distortion in the sense of time so that events seem either to go very quickly or very slowly an altered sense of one s bodily sensations or sensory perceptions and a Fine precision in gauging one s responses to a changing Challenge. With a group of colleagues at Chicago and another group at the University of Milan medical school Csik Szentmihalyi most recently has been studying the circumstances that draw people into the How state. In one recent study 82 volunteers carried beepers that would remind them at random times throughout the Day. To record what they were doing How concentrated on it they were and How they fell. The volunteers ranged from Assembly line workers and clerks to engineers and managers. People seem to concentrate Best when the demands on them Are a bit greater than usual and they Are Able to give More than usual Csik Szentmihalyi said. If there is too Little demand on them people Are bored. It there is too much for them to handle they get anxious. Flow occurs in that delicate zone Between boredom and  there is no easy formula for getting into the flow state but some circumstances make its occurrence More Likely according to the research. Ii a situation is Boring Lor example somehow making it More challenging May Lead to flow. One Assembly line worker in the Chicago research for example had a Job in which he simply tightened a set of screws All Day Long. But after several years he was still experimenting with ways to shave a Lew seconds from his time a Challenge that kept him engrossed. On the other hand if things Are overwhelming sometimes simplifying a Complex of into manageable pieces can bring that alignment of skill and Challenge that evokes a flowing concentration. And simply making the Effort to pay attention even if a struggle at first can on occasion give Way to flow. Most jobs have a Selling built in you can learn them in few Days said . Your skills for it increase rapidly but the Challenge does t change so you get bored. Many people Are bored much of the time and their attention is totally scattered. Clu Cago int mini ii pc sown would Book ency Dormu when their concentration drops so does their motivation and Confidence. The Fine focus during flow cuts out All irrelevant thoughts and sensations Csik Szentmihalyi said. There is a mental recruitment where everything aligns in an effortless concentration sort of a mental  in that Way this level of concentration resembles meditation in which the desired result is often a feeling of invigoration and relaxed alertness. The essence of meditation is simply to focus attention. The How state studied by the Chicago researchers needs to be distinguished from the strained concentration that is brought to Bear when for example a person has Little interest in the task at hand and must Force attention. These two kinds of attention Etc Orlles and strained have been found to have distinctly different underlying patterns of brain function according to findings by researchers at the National Institute of mental health. The research on attention and brain activity has in the past revealed seemingly contradictory findings. There seems to be a difference Between effortful and effortless attention said Jean Hamilton a psychiatrist in Washington who did the research with Monte Buchsbaum a psych Laurist now at the University of California medical school at Irvine. Hamilton s research showed that the effortless concentration typical Ollow brought about a lowered cortical arousal when More Effort was put into concentration on the other hand it seemed to increase cortical arousal. The studies show that the strained concentration involves greater activity by the brain almost As if it is in the wrong. Gear for the work demanded. The scientists Are finding a number of individual differences among people in their abilities to become absorbed and to make the most of it when they do. The ability to become completely immersed is necessary Lor productivity toil not sufficient said Auke Tellegen a psychologist at the University of Minnesota. You also need the capacity for mental constraint so you Don t just get swept away by impulse. Many people who Are prone to absorption Don t have the menial discipline that allows them to be  one of the most suggestive pieces of evidence linking deep concentration to other kinds of altered states is its similarity to hypnosis. Tellegen and others have done research showing that people who easily become absorbed in say fantasy or a painting ire More readily hypnotized than Are those More impervious to such pleasures. And research reported in a recent volume of the journal of personality and social psychology shows that people who Are Given to rapt absorption Are also susceptible to altered states of consciousness. Every once in a while i indulge myself by living in the past. I Don t have to look where i going. Ii in t crowded and it s certainly a lot cheaper than living in the  think of All the things that have gone by the boards that i miss. I miss the salespeople in the department store basements who used to come up to you and say How May i be of help to you now that All the merchandise is dumped out on tables shopping has become downright aerobic. I miss two Way streets where you did t have to Divide the City by two s and go five blocks out of your Way to make a right that would put you within free blocks of your doctor s office if you arrived before 4 or after 6 . Except on holidays. I miss the Home delivery of potato chips cannot Tell you the times i hid in the bedroom when delivery was made and when my husband discovered another Ive gallon can i Alibie. I was too late to Stop him. I ii catch him next  but mostly i miss the Ushers who used to patrol Heaters. Ushers went out with Dollar tickets and Black and White films. With them went Courtesy manners and rules. They set the tone Lor conduct. They used to be a vital part of the theater. When you entered they would help you select a seat. They would say excuse me before you entered a Row so the people could stand up and give you room to pass. When the film started they made sure your feet stayed on the floor you did t talk or make noise. Ii you did. They suggested strongly that if you persisted the management would escort you out of the theater. Heaters anymore Are a combination diner Bowling Alley slumber party Back seat living room. There Are no rules and no one to enforce them if there were. Maybe it s the intimacy of smaller Heaters. Maybe it s because America is suffering from a manners deficiency. The other night my husband and i went to a film that had played out and had a Small audience. A Guy across the aisle from us put both feet up on the seat in front of him and lit a cigarette. The couple behind us complained the theater was so quiet and proceeded to do something about it by discussing the menu in the lobby and How they could eat dinner As they watched the film and would t have to go to bed on a full stomach. She ate a Taco and he chewed on ice. Every time a four letter word was uttered on the screen a Man who sat by himself a few aisles Down would beat on his seat and yell  throughout the film he offered comments like it was an audience participation show. When it comes to manners you need All the help you can get. You learn them at Home in schools in churches at concerts in restaurants and standing in lines. You won t see them in Heaters. Happily there Are options to going to the theater. Until they clean up their act i m Content to watch 10 year old movies on pcs during pledge week. If anyone puts their filthy shoes on the Sola the management will personally escort them out of the living room. E in. Lot an Tim to Law Send cult