Neural correlates of experimentally induced flow experiences

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 86; pp. 194 - 202
• Main Authors: Ulrich, Martin, Keller, Johannes, Hoenig, Klaus, Waller, Christiane, Grön, Georg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.02.2014; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Amygdala; Arousal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping - methods; Cognition - physiology; Computer & video games; Experiments; Flow experience; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Intrinsic motivation; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Mathematics; Medical imaging; Motivation - physiology; MPFC; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Perfusion imaging; Problem Solving - physiology; Skills; Studies; Task Performance and Analysis; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Young Adult; rCBF; Intrinsic motivation; B; DMN; MPFC; Amygdala; MRI; CNR; F; CASL; MNI; IFG; FoV; Flow experience; AMY; O; SPM; TE; R; Perfusion imaging; ANOVA; TR; BA; EPI; Imaging; Central nervous system; Basal ganglion; Encephalon; Statistical Parametric Mapping; Boredom (experimental condition); Inferior frontal gyrus; Medial prefrontal cortex; Contrast-to-noise ratio; Overload (experimental condition); Flow (experimental condition); Default-mode network; Rest (experimental condition); Field of view; Echo-planar imaging; Repetition time; Brodmann area; Montreal Neurological Institute; Magnetic resonance imaging; Echo time; Continuous arterial spin labeling; Regional cerebral blood flow; Analysis of variance
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.019

Flow refers to a positive, activity-associated, subjective experience under conditions of a perceived fit between skills and task demands. Using functional magnetic resonance perfusion imaging, we investigated the neural correlates of flow in a sample of 27 human subjects. Experimentally, in the flow condition participants worked on mental arithmetic tasks at challenging task difficulty which was automatically and continuously adjusted to individuals' skill level. Experimental settings of “boredom” and “overload” served as comparison conditions. The experience of flow was associated with relative increases in neural activity in the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the left putamen. Relative decreases in neural activity were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the amygdala (AMY). Subjective ratings of the flow experience were significantly associated with changes in neural activity in the IFG, AMY, and, with trend towards significance, in the MPFC. We conclude that neural activity changes in these brain regions reflect psychological processes that map on the characteristic features of flow: coding of increased outcome probability (putamen), deeper sense of cognitive control (IFG), decreased self-referential processing (MPFC), and decreased negative arousal (AMY). •Flow was associated with increased activation in the inferior frontal gyrus and putamen.•Flow was associated with decreased activation of the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex.•Individual flow experience correlated with changes in neural activation.