Since our skills are high, we rely heavily on muscle memory and automated motor patterns to carry out our actions during flow. Thus, during flow, you don’t feel fatigued, cramped, or uncomfortable even though, as a gamer, you might have been sitting in the same position for hours. The release of these neurotransmitters interacts with systems that release neuropeptides like endogenous endorphins and cannabinoids, which reduce any feelings of pain and enhance feelings of well-being. At the same time, subcortical structures like the locus coeruleus and midbrain are releasing dopamine and norepinephrine, which keep us motivated and feeling pleased with our performance. We also suppress attention to outside stimuli irrelevant to the task at hand. Instead, we are left with the ability to enjoy the activity for its intrinsic merits, getting lost in the experience. Reduced activity in this part of the brain aids flow by preventing us from being self-conscious of our actions, from focusing on the past or future, and from focusing on what we might get out of the activity we’re doing. This is a part of the brain that is unique to humans, and plays a role in what we call our executive functions: planning, strategizing, reward evaluation, self-control, and self-referent thinking, among others. During flow, parts of the prefrontal cortex are silenced.

Though these are mostly correlative studies, they can help us build models of how our brains experience flow. Research studies have recorded brain activity during flow states and manipulated brain activity by stimulating certain regions. Furthermore, we are more likely to achieve this desirable state of flow when we are hopeful for success in our endeavor rather than fearful of failure.Īnother contrast with the beginner’s mind concerns the parts of the brain that are active during flow. Stress, which, by definition, requires attention to past or future events, is counterproductive to the flow state. Flow is optimized when we are mindful, paying particular attention not to the past or the future, but to what we are doing in the moment. When challenge is low but skills are high, a person will be bored. When challenge is high, but skills are low, a person is more likely to feel anxiety and embarrassment. At the end of a flow state, the neurotransmitter serotonin is released, contributing to an afterglow of well-being.įlow is only achievable when a task presents a moderate to high level of challenge, and when the skill set of the person is also moderate to high. They forget about their notifications, they lose track of time, they don’t feel in the least self-conscious. In fact, a person in the flow state is consumed by their challenging yet rewarding task to the exclusion of external and internal distractions. This serves to bring a feeling of pleasure to the person in flow, and also to increase the attention devoted to the task at hand. Dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters are released at higher rates, stimulating almost the entirety of the brain.

Learning and memory are both enhanced during flow, and the brain’s reward and motivation centers are activated. What is flow? It’s a state characterized by intense absorption and success in a goal directed, challenging task.

While flow isn’t a switch you can simply flick on or off as you like, understanding what contributes to it and why it’s desirable might make it easier to achieve during your draft. No, you want to draft in a flow state.įlow is a scientific term for what we’ve long known colloquially as “being in the zone.” It was coined by phychologist Mihali Csikszentmihalyi, who recognized it as “the key to happiness.” Research in multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, has demonstrated a few key facets of flow, from what its requirements are to what its benefits are. You don’t want to second-guess yourself, and you certainly don’t have time to think slow, using all the logic and rational tools that hopefully served you well leading up to this point.

The last thing you want on draft night is a beginner’s mind. All of my season-long redraft leagues, except the famous Scott Fish Bowl (#SFB12), will be drafting in the five days leading up to the Bills at Rams opener, Thursday, September 8.

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