December 18th, 2023 - Wonder vs Flow vs Play
New research on play and flow! I am beyond thrilled to share some thoughts on an article introducing a new theory that promises fascinating insights in the near future! Jesper Falck Legaard published an article in the International Journal of Play in August 2023 (which has been saved in my to-read list since October) titled The Wonder of Play.
For those of you that follow my work closely or have attended one of my workshops, you know that I believe “all flow is play, not all play is flow”. You also know that I believe play to be a crucial element of the 2nd and 4th stages of the flow cycles (struggle and release) allowing for us to achieve optimal experience and performance without sacrificing our well-being. And at my core, I believe adults deserve to play, especially at work, because play is absolutely vital to being human.
This article highlights differences between flow and play, and introduces a new state - WONDER. The author proposes wonder as a “counterpart to ‘flow’ in order to account for the explorative nature of play experiences rather than a focus on task related accomplishment”. The article is an incredible journey through explorations of the meanings of play, flow, and this new “wonder”. Highly recommend the read.
I am thrilled that this type of work is being published. I look forward to deeper digs into the neuroscience of wonder and wonderflow. Thank you Dr. Legaard!
Of note, those of you that have heard my “9 plus a bonus” characteristics of play based on the work of Gokhan Gunes, Peter Gray, the LEGO foundation, Rene Proyer, and more - Dr Legaard’s work has me thinking again (Adam Grant would be so proud.)!
One of my characteristics for play has always been “skill balanced” - but I agree with Dr Legaard that this is only a requirement for flow. Play can definitely be too easy, and you may likely not get bored because of the joy involved. A game of tag (mentioned in the article) is probably not a skill in many adults’ zone of proximal development, but it’s definitely play!
So, now I stand by “8 plus a bonus” characteristics of play: beneficial, joyful, optional, iterative, intrinsically motivating, actively engaging, seemingly purposeless, and (bonus) socially interactive.
Thoughts? Hit reply to nerd out with me!