Personality, anxiety, and cognitive failures as predictors of flow proneness

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine how certain personality traits relate to trait flow, also known as flow proneness. We examined whether those relationships differ between work and leisure context. Using an online survey via snowball method, we obtained the self-reported results of 273 participants (Mage = 38.3 years). We performed two parallel hierarchical regression analyses, one for each context flow is experienced in, and used the same blocks of predictors in both: the first block included age and gender, the second FFM dimensions, and the third anxiety and cognitive failures. A total of 33% of flow proneness variance was explained in the work context, with statistically significant positive predictors being age, extraversion, and consciousness, while negative predictors were openness, and anxiety. We also explained 42% flow proneness variance in the leisure context, with age and consciousness as positive predictors, and neuroticism and anxiety as negative predictors.