Flow synchronisation and shared emotions towards understanding collective flow experience

Abstract

Positive psychology aims to study positive subjective experiences and traits and institutes to support flourishing, but beyond individual research, more studies are needed at the interpersonal level also. Optimal experience (flow) is a subjective experience; when the person is totally immersing in an activity, attention is absorbed in the challenges which are in balance with the person's skills. Although it is a subjective experience, social interactions can be its source. Theories which may explain flow in social interactions – e.g. emotional contagion, crossover of states/experiences and social coordination – emphasise the automatic synchronisation of emotional, behavioural and psychophysiological patterns and the increased value of interpersonal experiences. Coordination effect of interactional functioning was highlighted in the studies of group flow. Based on the descriptions of flow in social interactions, the partners' optimal experience may be synchronised with each other through a cooperative, challenging activity. The experience of flow in a shared, cooperative activity can contribute to the fulfilment of the basic human needs, supporting the person to develop competences, to use social skills, to improve the quality of the relationships and well-being factors also, in both short and long terms, to promote the flourishing of individuals and social relationships. The chapter further elaborates on the association between state flow experience and flow synchronisation in relation to creativity and group performance.