The Neuroscience of the Flow State: Involvement of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrine System.
Dimitri Van der Linden, Mattie Tops, Arnold B Bakker
Frontiers in Psychology 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.645498 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Mini-review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Flow state Human performance Locus coeruleus Norepinephrine Task engagement |
| Key findings | The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system may be centrally involved in the behavioral and subjective manifestations of flow, as both require a skill-challenge match and show an inverted U-shaped relationship with arousal. |
Abstract
Flow is a state of full task engagement that is accompanied with low-levels of self-referential thinking. Flow is considered highly relevant for human performance and well-being and has, therefore, been studied extensively. Yet, the neurocognitive processes of flow remain largely unclear. 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. The LC-NE system regulates decisions regarding task engagement vs. disengagement. This is done via different modes of baseline and stimulus-evoked norepinephrine release. We emphasize the theoretical and empirical overlap between the LC-NE system and flow. For both, a match between a person's skill and task challenge is important in order to induce high levels task-related attention. Moreover, psychophysiological indicators of LC-NE system activity, such as eye pupil diameter and arousal are also sensitive to flow states. Flow is related to arousal in an inverted U-shape. Similarly, in theories on the LC-NE system, task engagement is highest with intermediate levels of arousal. 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.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| Peak experiences and the afterglow phenomenon: When and how do therapeutic effects of hallucinogens depend on psychedelic experiences? | 2015 | Review | |
| Are “mystical experiences” essential for antidepressant actions of ketamine and the classic psychedelics? | 2024 | Review | |
| Psychedelic Mystical Experience: A New Agenda for Theology | 2022 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- First few seconds for flow: A comprehensive proposal of the neurobiology and neurodynamics of state onset. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 1, 2022
- Forgetting ourselves in flow: an active inference account of flow states and how we experience ourselves within them Frontiers in Psychology June 3, 2024
- Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity. Scientific Reports December 19, 2023
- The Electroencephalographic Brainwave Spectrum, Mindful Meditation, and Awareness: Hypothesis. International Journal of Yoga 2023
- The experimental study of consciousness: Is psychology travelling back to the future? International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology June 21, 2024
and 8 more in the library
Cites 4
- A meta-analysis of flow effects and the perception of time. Acta Psychologica July 1, 2019
- 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
- Neural correlates of experimentally induced flow experiences. Neuroimage February 1, 2014
- Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the experience of flow. Consciousness and Cognition December 2004