A Review on the Role of the Neuroscience of Flow States in the Modern World.
Joshua Gold, Joseph Ciorciari
Behavioral Sciences September 9, 2020 DOI: 10.3390/bs10090137 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) |
| Keywords | Decision-making Expertise Flow state Neurocognition Productivity |
| Key findings | Argues that flow involves a transition of cognitive control from explicit to implicit processing and that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may serve as a novel method to facilitate flow states, with implications for skill acquisition and performance. |
Abstract
Flow states have been shown to help people reach peak performance, yet this elusive state is not easily attained. The review describes the current state of literature on flow by addressing the environmental influences as well as the cognitive and neurocognitive elements that underlie the experience. In particular, the research focusses on the transition of cognitive control from an explicit to an implicit process. This is further expanded upon to look at the current, yet related neurocognitive research of high performance associated with the implicit process of automaticity. Finally, the review focusses on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a novel method to facilitates an induction of flow states. Implications are aimed at a general technique to improve on skill acquisition and overall performance.
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- 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
- Positive Neuroscience: Comparing the Neural Correlates of Meditation and Creative Flow Journal of Student Research November 30, 2023
- From chemistry to cognition: the adaptive origins of consciousness under constraint Frontiers in Neuroscience September 1, 2026
- Neural symphony of flow experience: Evidence for high-dimensional metastable dynamics Neuroimage June 11, 2026
and 9 more in the library
Cites 7
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
- Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis Consciousness and Cognition May 19, 2003
- 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
- Individual differences in the proneness to have flow experiences are linked to dopamine D2-receptor availability in the dorsal striatum. Neuroimage November 2, 2012
and 2 more in the library