The Neurology of Flow States

Improvised art forms, such as music, acting, or comedy is an example of a flow state. Improvisation is a highly complex form of creative behaviour. The ability to improvise requires cognitive flexibility, divergent thinking and discipline-specific skills.

During musical improvisation, there is an increase in the area of the brain involved in intentional self-expression and the pursuit of goal-oriented behaviours and a decrease in the brain areas involved in conscious self-monitoring, focused attention, and evaluation of planned actions.

We don't need to be able to improvise to achieve flow states. We can turn off the constant time-keeping moments when in artistic rapture or contemplation. Activities such as meditation, hypnosis, and daydreaming can also induce altered states of consciousness.

During improvisation, a performer's moment-to-moment decisions and actions may feel as if they happen outside of time and without intention. But, if performers become overly self-aware or self-conscious for too long, they can lose the flow state, and their performance will suffer.