What Happens In Your Brain When You’re In “Flow”
Ahhh, now that sounds interesting! But maybe first explain what “flow” is?
Flow is that state of being totally immersed in something when you are totally engaged and may also, for example lose track of time, being in the zone, and not notice tiredness or fatigue until you’re done. Famously proposed by the American-Hungarian psychologist with the unpronounceable name, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in his book of the same name in 1990.
And how do you get into this sublime state?
Well, this has been known for a long time and was also put forward by the great man himself (who sadly died just this last October), the most important are:
- Challenge-skill balance (not too easy and not too hard)
- Merging of action and awareness
- Clarity of goals
- Immediate and unambiguous feedback
- Concentration on the task at hand
The researchers in this recent study also corroborated some of the above particularly point one. But what is new is brain scanning individuals while in the flow state.
I’m intrigued — what happens in the brain in a flow state?
Well, first off, there is no flow region…
