This Friday’s Doodle (29) celebrates Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s 89th birthday. The psychologist of Croatian origin is known for coining the term “flow”, which, in his area of knowledge, refers to “the sensation of being completely immersed in an activity”. In addition, the intellectual was also a pioneer in studies on creativity and happiness. Today’s interactive Google page is an illustration where Csikszentmihalyi is in profile next to a figure that looks like a brain. Around it, the word “Google” appears in a stylized way.
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Doodle is available in certain countries, such as Brazil, United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Below, learn about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s career and read more details about Google’s illustration of the day.
Quem foi Mihály Csíkszentmihályi?
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi is a psychologist dedicated to the study of human happiness, responsible for creating the concept of “flow”, a mental state of high concentration on an activity or present moment that is able to stimulate the happiness and personal fulfillment. He was born on September 29, 1934 in Fiume, a former Italian city-state and the current city of Rijeka, Croatia.
During the Second World War (1939-45), Csíkszentmihályi, still young, had to leave his studies to help support his family. Despite the difficulties, the time served as motivation for him to find out more about human happiness – and, thus, Csíkszentmihályi began to research the arts, philosophy and religion. However, it was when he attended a lecture by psychiatrist Carl Jung about the damage caused by the war to the mental health of Europeans that the Croatian decided to study psychology.
At the age of 22, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi moved to the United States to study at the University of Chicago, where he began to develop the concept of “flow”. He noted that some painters become so diligent in their work that they neglect some important functions, such as hydration and nutrition. These artists described the experience using the metaphor of flowing water, saying they felt a deep “flow state”. The concept then became the basis of the psychologist’s work.
Csíkszentmihályi became a PhD in Positive Developmental Psychology in 1965 and, in 1990, wrote the book “Flow: The Psychology of High Performance and Happiness”, which was translated into more than 20 languages and served as an inspiration to many professionals such as sports technicians , executive leaders and psychologists. He is also a university professor at Claremont Graduate University in California, where he founded and directs the Quality of Life Research Center, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has received numerous awards.
What is a Doodle?
Doodle is a commemorative version of Google Illustration, which appears on the home page of the search engine. Today’s Doodle celebrates Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s 89th birthday, Google’s 25th birthday on Wednesday (27th). In addition to informing users, some Doodles also have games, which tend to be popular among internet users.
