My doctorial studies were in the field of autotelic experiences. This is probably what you are looking for. Your quest should begin with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his Flow Theory; he is the "master" as far as I am concerned. Simple in its brillance and his ground-breaking work in new methods of data collection have expanded world views on creativity, work, and education. One of his earlier works, that had a profound effect on my own personal life philosphies, is Beyond Boredom and Anxiety

Mountains and mountains of research is available, however, with the caveat of "The Hawthorn Studies."

HAVE FUN!!!!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Does it work? YES! The art is in its application.