In case of the latter, flow possibly may have to be assimilated in the general attentional literature.Īlthough neuroscientific research on flow is limited, already in 2004, Dietrich suggested that during flow, the frontal lobes may be less active, indicating that much of the behavioral regulation is bottom-up (i.e., automatic). Also, knowledge about the brain processes could help to examine whether flow has unique features, or alternatively, may simply reflect an extreme level of task focus or sustained attention ( Unsworth and Robison, 2017). This is unfortunate, because insight in the fundamental processes of flow would allow the needed interdisciplinary and systematic scrutiny of the topic that goes beyond self-reports and behavioral observations. Experiencing flow is accompanied with sense of accomplishment, meaningfulness, and positive mood states ( Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura, 2010), and as such, flow also plays a role in well-being.įlow has been extensively studied in the past decades ( Bruya, 2010 Csikszentmihalyi, 2014 Harmat et al., 2016), but relatively few studies have focused on its neurocognitive basis. An example is a gamer spending hours behind the computer without feeling bored, fatigued, or hungry. Yet, flow-like states also occur in more mundane situations, such as when engaging in certain tasks during work or leisure time ( Bakker, 2008 Demerouti et al., 2012 Csikszentmihalyi, 2014).
Flow is often associated with athletes, artists, or scientists who are fully task-absorbed in order to achieve peak performance.
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We argue that knowledge about the role of the LC-NE system in establishing the flow experience may help to gain fundamental knowledge of flow and can contribute to unifying various empirical findings on this topic.Ī well-known phenomenon in research on human performance is “flow” ( Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, 2014), a state of full task engagement and low levels of self-referential thinking (e.g., worrying, self-reflection). Similarly, in theories on the LC-NE system, task engagement is highest with intermediate levels of arousal. Flow is related to arousal in an inverted U-shape. Moreover, psychophysiological indicators of LC-NE system activity, such as eye pupil diameter and arousal are also sensitive to flow states. For both, a match between a person's skill and task challenge is important in order to induce high levels task-related attention. We emphasize the theoretical and empirical overlap between the LC-NE system and flow. This is done via different modes of baseline and stimulus-evoked norepinephrine release. The LC-NE system regulates decisions regarding task engagement vs. In the present mini-review we focus on how the brain's locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system may be involved in a range of behavioral and subjective manifestations of flow. Yet, the neurocognitive processes of flow remain largely unclear. Flow is considered highly relevant for human performance and well-being and has, therefore, been studied extensively. 3Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africaįlow is a state of full task engagement that is accompanied with low-levels of self-referential thinking.
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