The Structure of Immersive and Engaging Activities

Abstract One of the most potent predictors of productivity and well-being is the subjective experience of flow. Defined as the feeling of effortless immersion in goal pursuit, flow has been studied for decades, yet effective strategies for boosting flow remain elusive. This stems in part from a lack of knowledge of how flow relates to mental representations of task structure. Many aspects of motivation are shaped by representations of how desired task outcomes and means of those outcomes relate to one another, but how these representations shape flow has not been explored. The authors address this gap by drawing on an empirically validated, computational model of the flow-generating process. From this model, the authors derive a formal framework for understanding how mental representations of task structure shape subjective experiences of immersion and engagement—a framework that could be used to boost flow in daily life.