In the Zone
Illustration for the article "It’s great to be ’in the zone’ — while working, exercising and creating art. Here’s how to get there", published in the Washington Post in the wellness section and written by science journalist Jessica Wapner.
The article starts from the story of her first half marathon, when, after kilometers of cold and rain, the run suddenly enters a state of total absorption: the "flow", or "being in it". From here Wapner resumes the research of Abraham Maslow and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, summarizing the typical elements of this state — a challenge up to one’s height, clear goals, deep concentration — and the conditions that can favor it. Finally, she connects the ability to "enter the zone" to better performance and lower levels of exhaustion and depression, showing how these moments of full involvement are the ones where we truly have the sensation of living.
Work