An interesting New York Times article with some applications to reading fiction.
"There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing" by Adam Grant,
Mr. Grant writes that over the course of the pandemic, 'anguish has turned to languish' - many people report difficulty with concentrating, feeling little excitement about things, and 'muddling' through their day: in other words, feeling 'blah'. Many of us are neither thriving nor depressed; we are languishing.
However, the good news for readers of fiction? "A concept called “flow” may be an antidote to languishing. "Flow is the state of absorption where your sense of time, place and self melts away." That, to me, is precisely what reading fiction is/does.
It states that the ability to achieve flow is a better predictor of mental wellbeing than both mindfulness and optimism!
To better achieve flow - it recommends cutting back on distractions and multi-tasking and create "space and time to immerse yourself by carving out daily time to focus on a challenge that matters to you — an interesting project, a worthwhile goal, a meaningful conversation" - OR... a good book!
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