Mihály Csíkszentmihályi was born in Fiume, Italy on September 29, 1934, the son of Hungarian diplomat Alfred Csíkszentmihályi and Edith Jankovich de Jeszenicze. He attended the Classical Gymnasium “Torquato Tasso,” and later developed an interest in psychology.
He moved to the United States in 1956 and attended the University of Chicago where he wrote a Ph.D on artistic creativity.
Csíkszentmihályi is best known for his work on the concept of “Flow,” used to describe a state of optimal experience where one’s skills match the challenges of a situation, and also for his role as a founder of the subfield of positive psychology.
