The Flow State is Key to Emotional Well-Being and Creativity, New Research Shows

Laurie E. Smith, author of The Flow Habit: Creating Peace, Passion, Purpose and Everyday Miracles

The Flow Habit: Creating Peace, Passion, Purpose, and Everyday Miracles is an inspirational self-help guide to discovering a sense of inner peace through the power of the flow state.

New Book--The Flow Habit--bridges gaps in flow research, offers four-step framework to help people experience more happiness and flow in everyday life

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, January 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Flow has long been associated with peak performance, productivity, and elite achievement. But according to author and researcher Laurie Smith, that narrow framing has caused most people to miss what flow can truly offer.

In her new book, The Flow Habit, Smith sets out to change a fundamental problem: most people don’t actually know what flow is, even though they experience it regularly. Through her original research, surveys, and in-depth interviews, Smith found that while flow moments—those experiences we have when we are so engaged in what we are doing that we lose track of time or our surroundings—are common, few people recognize these experiences as flow or know how to intentionally invite them into daily life.

The Flow Habit fills this gap by introducing a simple four-step framework for accessing flow, grounded in the latest research, while highlighting the top eight benefits of flow, including improved emotional well-being, a sense of belonging, a boost in creativity, and improved confidence and a stronger sense of self over the long-term.

Unlike previous books that focus primarily on how flow boosts performance or productivity, The Flow Habit takes a different approach. Smith explores how flow helps people uncover their unique gifts and talents, reconnect with what lights them up and makes them feel more alive, and experience more enjoyment and ease in everyday life.

“Flow isn’t just about doing more,” says Smith. “It’s about feeling more—more connected, more energized, more aligned with who you really are. My research revealed that people already hold the clues to their own flow. They just need a simple way to recognize their own unique formulas for flow, beginning with finding simple ways to make everyday tasks more enjoyable."

Released at the start of the New Year, The Flow Habit positions flow as a powerful reset. Smith shows how returning to activities that bring joy—and naturally invite flow—can help spark a renewed sense of purpose, passion, and emotional well-being, offering an alternative to rigid resolutions and burnout-driven goal setting.

The Flow Habit returns flow to the original focus of research by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who first identified the flow state on his search to discover what makes life enjoyable and worthwhile.

The book also makes the case for why individuals, companies, and schools should prioritize making flow a habit—not only to access the flow state more often, but to cultivate a broader, more sustainable sense of flow across life and work. When flow becomes habitual, Smith argues, life itself begins to feel less forced and more fluid, often leading to synchronicities, new opportunities, and everyday miracles.

The Flow Habit is a valuable tool for anyone seeking to rediscover their spark, reconnect with what matters most, and design a life that feels more naturally aligned with who they really are.

The Flow Habit is published by Hay House, and imprint of Penguin Random House and is available wherever books are sold.

Laurie Smith
Laurie Smith llc/The Flow Habit
Media@LaurieSmith.com
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