Development of Flow State Self-Regulation Skills and Coping With Musical Performance Anxiety: Design and Evaluation of an Electronically Implemented Psychological Program.
Laura Moral-Bofill, Andrés López de la Llave, Mᵃ Carmen Pérez-llantada, Francisco Pablo Holgado-Tello
Frontiers in Psychology 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899621 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Performing musicians from different music colleges in Spain |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Flow experience Flow state Musical performance anxiety Electronic intervention program Performing musicians Social skills |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key findings | The intervention program significantly improved flow state and sense of control and decreased music performance anxiety and self-consciousness in the experimental group, showing an inverse relationship between flow and anxiety. |
Abstract
Positive Psychology has turned its attention to the study of emotions in a scientific and rigorous way. Particularly, to how emotions influence people's health, performance, or their overall life satisfaction. Within this trend, Flow theory has established a theoretical framework that helps to promote the Flow experience. Flow state, or optimal experience, is a mental state of high concentration and enjoyment that, due to its characteristics, has been considered desirable for the development of the performing activity of performing musicians. Musicians are a population prone to health problems, both psychological and physical, owing to different stressors of their training and professional activity. One of the most common problems is Musical Performance Anxiety. In this investigation, an electronic intervention program was carried out for the development of psychological self-regulation skills whose main objective was to trigger the Flow response in performing musicians and the coping mechanism for Musical Performance Anxiety. A quasi-experimental design was used with a control group in which pre- and post-measures of Flow State, Musical Performance Anxiety and, also, Social Skills were taken. Sixty-two performing musicians from different music colleges in Spain participated in the program. Results indicated that the intervention significantly improved Flow State (t = -2.41, p = 0.02, d = 0.36), and Sense of Control (t = -2.48, p = 0.02, d = 0.47), and decreased Music Performance Anxiety (t = 2.64, p = 0.01, d = 0.24), and self-consciousness (t = -3.66, p = 0.00, d = 0.70) of the participants in the EG but not CG. The changes in the EG after the program showed the inverse relationship between Flow and Anxiety. Two important theoretical factors of both variables (especially in situations of performance and public exposure), such as worry and the feeling of lack of control, could be involved. The results are under discussion and future lines of research are proposed.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Finding flow at the piano: psychological regulation and configurational profiles among art students at Chinese sport universities. Frontiers in Psychology August 3, 2026
- Enhanced functional connectivity between the default mode network and executive control network during flow states may facilitate creativity and emotional regulation, and may improve health outcomes. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2025
- Predictors of flow state in performing musicians: an analysis with the logistic regression method Frontiers in Psychology November 23, 2023
Cites 5
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Empirical explorations of mindfulness: Conceptual and methodological conundrums. Emotion February 1, 2010
- Investigating the "Flow" Experience: Key Conceptual and Operational Issues. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Getting into the musical zone: Trait emotional intelligence and amount of practice predict flow in pianists Frontiers in Psychology May 22, 2014
- Optimal Experience August 26, 1988