These two theories are combined because of their close connection. Neither are supported by much empirical evidence, but they are often seen in a practical way throughout many of our adventure pursuits.
Flow is a state of mind that unifies on's actions and focus. When in a state of flow, a person is purely focused on the task at hand, and is performing at the peak of their ability, where the challenge is high enough to be stimulating, but low enough to prevent over-stimulation or fear. The feeling is often described by athletes as being "in the zone."
Optimal Arousal Theory (OAT) describes the connection between performance and arousal. As arousal increases, performance of an activity also increases, but only to a point. As arousal gets too high, performance decreases. The perfect (or optimal) level of arousal is different for different tasks. For example, difficult rock climbing might benefit from a high level of arousal, but long distance running might benefit from a lower level.
Part of the connection between OAT and flow is that flow is easier to reach when at an optimal level of arousal.
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