The brain in flow: A systematic review on the neural basis of the flow state.
Clara Alameda, Daniel Sanabria, Luis F. Ciria
Cortex September 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.06.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 471 |
| Population | Participants in studies measuring or manipulating flow state with brain activity recording |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Cognitive processing Consciousness EEG FMRI Fnirs Tdcs |
| Citations | 69 |
| Key findings | The neural correlates of flow involve anterior brain areas linked to attention, executive function, and reward, but findings are inconsistent and the evidence is inconclusive. |
Abstract
Flow state is a subjective experience that people report when task performance is experienced as automatic, intrinsically rewarding, optimal and effortless. While this intriguing phenomenon is the subject of a plethora of behavioural studies, only recently researchers have started to look at its neural correlates. Here, we aim to systematically and critically review the existing literature on the neural correlates of the flow state. Three electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO) were searched to acquire information on eligible articles in July, 2021, and updated in March, 2022. Studies that measured or manipulated flow state (through questionnaires or employing experimental paradigms) and recorded associated brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) or functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) or manipulated brain activity with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were selected. We used the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool to assess the methodological quality of eligible records. In total, 25 studies were included, which involved 471 participants. In general, the studies that experimentally addressed flow state and its neural dynamics seem to converge on the key role of structures linked to attention, executive function and reward systems, giving to the anterior brain areas (e.g., the DLPC, MPFC, IFG) a crucial role in the experience of flow. However, the dynamics of these brain regions during flow state are inconsistent across studies. In light of the results, we conclude that the current available evidence is sparse and inconclusive, which limits any theoretical debate. We also outline major limitations of this literature (the small number of studies, the high heterogeneity across them and their important methodological constraints) and highlight several aspects regarding experimental design and flow measurements that may provide useful avenues for future studies on this topic.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synergistic, multi-level understanding of psychedelics: three systematic reviews and meta-analyses of their pharmacology, neuroimaging and phenomenology. | 2024 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| Evidence synthesis indicates contentless experiences in meditation are neither truly contentless nor identical Expert texts from Shamatha, Transcendental, and Stillness Meditation traditions | 2022 | Systematic review | n = 135 |
| Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) use in severe mental illness (SMI) patients: Potential changes in the phenomenology of psychiatric diseases Patients with severe mental illness (SMI), such as psychotic patients | 2017 | Systematic review | |
| Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices. | 2024 | Systematic review | |
| Why is it hard to assess thought disorder? Clarifying the third domain of psychosis. Individuals with psychosis | 2026 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- First few seconds for flow: A comprehensive proposal of the neurobiology and neurodynamics of state onset. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 1, 2022
- Exploring the Neural Correlates of Flow Experience with Multifaceted Tasks and a Single-Channel Prefrontal EEG Recording. Italian National Conference on Sensors March 15, 2024
- Positive Neuroscience: Comparing the Neural Correlates of Meditation and Creative Flow Journal of Student Research November 30, 2023
- Neural symphony of flow experience: Evidence for high-dimensional metastable dynamics Neuroimage June 11, 2026
- Near-critical brain dynamics track effortlessness during meditation bioRxiv August 12, 2026
and 12 more in the library
Cites 7
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- Team Flow Is a Unique Brain State Associated with Enhanced Information Integration and Interbrain Synchrony eNeuro June 19, 2020
- EEG Correlates of the Flow State: A Combination of Increased Frontal Theta and Moderate Frontocentral Alpha Rhythm in the Mental Arithmetic Task Frontiers in Psychology March 9, 2018
- Brain activity during the flow experience: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. Neuroscience Letters May 13, 2014
- Neural correlates of experimentally induced flow experiences. Neuroimage February 1, 2014
and 2 more in the library