Flow states represent the psychology of peak performance and deep engagement. People struggle deeply with intractable problems but love being pushed at the edge of their abilities—where challenge perfectly matches skill. In flow, time perception shifts, self-consciousness disappears, and action feels effortless. This isn't relaxation—it's full engagement with appropriately difficult tasks.

All systems have inherent delays between cause and effect. Feedback can only change future behavior—a flow can't react to itself instantly; it can only respond to changes in the stock. Models assuming immediate response to price changes are misguided because real economies and all feedback loops need time to respond. These delays cause oscillations as systems overcorrect.