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tags: #psychology #research-methods

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) is a research technique used to capture real-time data about individuals' thoughts, feelings, and activities as they go about their daily lives.

How it works:
Participants are prompted at random intervals throughout the day (often via a pager or smartphone app) to stop what they are doing and record information about their current state. This might include:

• What activity they are engaged in.
• Their current emotional state (e.g., rating happiness on a scale of 1-10).
• Their level of engagement or concentration.

Why it's important:
ESM helps overcome the limitations of recall bias, where people may not accurately remember how they felt during past events. It provides a more accurate, in-the-moment picture of daily life.

This method was pioneered by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and was instrumental in his research on Flow (Psychology), as it allowed him to identify the conditions under which people reported being "in the zone."

Reference

Coursera, "A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment"