An example is a gamer spending hours behind the computer without feeling bored, fatigued, or hungry. Yet, flow-like states also occur in more mundane situations, such as when engaging in certain tasks during work or leisure time ( Bakker, 2008 Demerouti et al., 2012 Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). Flow is often associated with athletes, artists, or scientists who are fully task-absorbed in order to achieve peak performance. 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.Ī well-known phenomenon in research on human performance is “flow” ( Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, 2014), a state of full task engagement and low levels of self-referential thinking (e.g., worrying, self-reflection). Similarly, in theories on the LC-NE system, task engagement is highest with intermediate levels of arousal. Flow is related to arousal in an inverted U-shape. Moreover, psychophysiological indicators of LC-NE system activity, such as eye pupil diameter and arousal are also sensitive to flow states. For both, a match between a person's skill and task challenge is important in order to induce high levels task-related attention. We emphasize the theoretical and empirical overlap between the LC-NE system and flow. This is done via different modes of baseline and stimulus-evoked norepinephrine release. The LC-NE system regulates decisions regarding task engagement vs. 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. Yet, the neurocognitive processes of flow remain largely unclear. Flow is considered highly relevant for human performance and well-being and has, therefore, been studied extensively. 3Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africaįlow is a state of full task engagement that is accompanied with low-levels of self-referential thinking.2Developmental and Educational Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.

1Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Dimitri van der Linden 1 *, Mattie Tops 2 and Arnold B.

Flow psychology book