A McKinsey report found that top executives are 5 times more productive when “in flow.” Flow is defined as an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.” It’s also a strange state of consciousness where action and awareness merge, and concentration on a single thing becomes so focused that everything else falls away.
As Steven Kotler said in his The Rise of Superman, “Since the flow is a fluid action state, making better decisions isn’t enough: we also have to act on those decisions. The problem is fear, which stands between us and all actions. Yet, our fears are grounded in self, time, and space. With our sense of self out of the way, we are liberated from doubt and insecurity. With time gone, there is no yesterday to regret or tomorrow to worry about. And when our sense of space disappears, so do physical consequences. But when all three vanish at once, something far more incredible occurs: our fear of death—that most fundamental of all fears—can no longer exist. Simply put: if you’re infinite and atemporal, you cannot die.”
The origin
It’s a psychological state that is often associated with athletes. It’s when someone feels a sense of oneness to the task at hand and a state of total absorption. It’s a rewarding experience, and individuals are self-motivated to experience it again.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the concept in the 1970s, and he noticed this state in a range of activities—chess, dancing, rock climbing, and surgery.
Experiencing the flow
When in flow, individuals feel a strong and positive force without the worry of self or failure. According to Mihaly, there are nine dimensions of the flow, and the most critical dimension is the concept of challenge–skill balance.
Flow can occur at different levels of complexity, but, by definition, flow is intrinsically rewarding, regardless of whether it involves a simple task or a complicated and dangerous gymnastics routine.
Three levels of happiness
According to positive psychologists:
- Hedonistic happiness: How good or how happy do you feel in the moment? For example, how you feel when relishing Doritos or watching funny videos on TikTok.
- Flow: How happy you’re feeling by doing something that triggers your Flow state, the maximum performance, and maximum pleasure a human organism can experience. The people that experience the most flow are the happiest people on earth, research shows.
- Purpose-aligned Flow: Doing something that triggers your Flow state contributes to something that has a higher purpose or goal, something greater than yourself that you believe in.
Dimensions of flow
The concept of flow constructs in nine dimensions:
- Challenge-skill: A belief that you have the skills to meet the challenge.
- Action–awareness merging: The feeling of being at one with the activity being performed.
- Clear goals: Knowing precisely what is supposed to be done.
- Unambiguous feedback: Specific information that keeps the performance heading in the right direction.
- Concentration on task: Focused in the present on the specific task or activity with which one is engaged.
- Sense of control: An empowering feeling that frees a person from a fear of failure that can creep into performance.
- Loss of self-consciousness: Lack of concern about what others may think of them.
- Time transformation: A sense of time passing differently: slowing, stopping, or passing quickly.
- Autotelic experience: The result of the coming together of the previous eight dimensions.
According to Csikszentmihalyi, two levels of flow are micro and macro flow experiences. Microflow experiences were proposed to fit the patterns of everyday life, whereas macro flow was reserved for experiences associated with higher levels of complexity and demand on the participant. He often associated these latter experiences with peak performance and peak experience.
Improving the flow with cacao
The aroma of a cup of coffee can give us a boost for a productive day. The simple act of pouring coffee into the mug activates the occipital and parietal lobes, motor-sensory and sensory-motor cortices, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and frontal lobes of our brain.
We at Snogo bring you the power of coffee in the form of cacao sniff. The trend began in Europe in 2007 when Belgian chocolatier Dominique Persoone created a device to snort cocoa powder mixed with mint or ginger.
Cacao has fantastic benefits that you can learn more about in our previous blog post. A 2011 study found that cacao beans have a greater antioxidant capacity and flavanol content than other fruits.
Cacoa and cacoa products are known to improve exercise performance, suggesting that it has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory benefits. Snorting cacao powder acts as a mood lifter and energy enhancer. It allows you to get into the flow quickly and improve your attention span in the activity.
The link between cacao snorting and flow
It is believed that a plant chemical found in cacao beans, called epicatechin, increases oxygen supply, widens the blood vessels, and gives the body a boost of energy. Cacao also contains endorphins and tyrosine, which support the release of dopamine into the brain.
Cacao is rich in antioxidants, promotes weight loss, supports anti-aging, and improves skin texture. Raw Cacao is also said even to help elevate your mood and help improve your metabolism.
How to sniff cacao?
At Snogo, we have developed an innovative mechanism to bring a 3-in-1 cacao snorting device. It lets you collect and sniff cacao from a small, pen-like device that you can carry with you anywhere. The apparatus comprises an applicator, spring-loaded straw, and a scoop. It’s available in gold and silver designs. The seamless design with seven seven-hole carb and DNX Spring allows optimal airflow to ensure that your snuffing cacao experience is fantastic.
About Snogo
Cacao has a range of health benefits; we offer our cacao a sniffing straw for quick intake. Snogo cacao is our signature blend containing Asian Mint, Kava, Ginger, Holy Basil, Vitamin B-12, and caffeine.
Snogo Straw is an on-the-go device that provides a quick and fantastic sniffing experience. We use medical-grade stainless steel with a spring-loaded straw as a 3-in-1 product. Our Snogo products are available in silver, nitride, and gold gloss shades. You can email us at help@Snogostraws.com to know more about our products.
1. Strategy and Sociability The Mind, the Body, and the Soul of Chess s Gary Alan Fine. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1032080.pdf
