The flow experience in exercise settings

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between flow state and weight loss in male and female participants in exercise settings. An additional objective was to study how males and females differ in the experience of flow and its various dimensions. Participants consisted of 30 males and 30 females, in the age range 30 to 45 years, taken from Aerofit gym in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. The Flow State Scale, developed by Jackson and Marsh (1996) was administered to evaluate the flow experience of the participants during exercise. Correlation be-tween the FSS scores of the participants and the average weight loss during a 45 minute exercise regime was computed for the primary purpose. Gender differences in the experience of flow during exercise and weight loss were analyzed using the t-test. Mean scores on the nine dimensions of the Flow State Scale were also analyzed. Results show that there is a strong positive relationship between the experience of flow during exercise and amount of weight loss (Product-moment correlation coefficient= 0.83 for males and 0.80 for females). Results also indicate that there is no gender difference in flow experience during exercise but males lose weight more rapidly than females. Male participants scored highest on the dimensions of challenge-skill balance and clear goals while female participants scored highest on the dimensions of autotelic experience and clear goals. Bothe males and females scored lowest on the dimensions of transformation of time and loss of self-consciousness.