The Neuroscience of the Flow State: Involvement of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrine System.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2021 Dimitri Van der Linden, Mattie Tops, Arnold B Bakker
Flow, a state of full task engagement with reduced self-referential thinking, is important for performance and well-being but its neurocognitive basis is unclear. This mini-review argues that the brain's locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, which regulates task engagement versus disengagement through different modes of norepinephrine release, may underlie flow. Both flow and the LC-NE system require a match between skill and challenge to sustain attention. Psychophysiological indicators of LC-NE activity, such as pupil diameter and arousal, are sensitive to flow, and both flow and LC-NE-mediated task engagement follow an inverted U-shape with arousal. Understanding the LC-NE system's role could unify empirical findings on flow.