The Science of Fun
Why learning feels better when it feels like play
Have you ever been so focused that time just disappeared?
You were so absorbed in what you were doing, you barely noticed your surroundings. You weren’t worried about getting it right or wrong. You were just doing. And loving it.
That state of complete immersion is called flow. And it’s not just a happy accident. It’s something we deliberately design for in every course we create.
What is flow?
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied the way certain activities, like gaming, climbing, painting, or coding, seem to fully absorb people.
He called this mental state flow. It’s a feeling of:
Deep concentration
Loss of self-consciousness
Complete focus on the task at hand
Joy in the activity for its own sake
As Csikszentmihalyi put it:
“Flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. The experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
What creates flow?
Not every activity puts us into flow. Certain conditions need to be in place for it to happen.
Researchers have found three key ingredients:
The task must match your skill level
Too easy? You get bored. Too hard? You get anxious. But when challenge and skill are in sync, you hit that sweet spot.There are clear, incremental goals
You know what success looks like. You can see progress as you go. Your brain loves these mini wins.You get immediate feedback
You see right away if what you did worked—or didn’t. Think of a video game where each action gives you a result, fast.
These same elements are behind some of the most engaging experiences in the world, from mountain biking to music composition. And yes, even great online learning!
Can learning feel like this?
We think it should.
That’s why our courses start with simple questions and build gradually.
That’s why every lesson gives instant feedback.
That’s why we design every interaction to challenge just the right amount.
We want you to get into flow while learning.
We want learning to feel like play.
Not perfect yet. But we’re getting closer.
And one day, mark our words: you’ll be addicted to learning.
Your first step?
Head to 42courses.com and start exploring.
Choose a topic you care about. Try a few questions.
Earn your first badge. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find your flow.
