At the Heart of Optimal Reading Experiences: Cardiovascular Activity and Flow Experiences in Fiction Reading

Abstract

Fiction reading is a popular leisure activity associated with a variety of pleasurable experiences, including suspense, narrative transportation, and—as indicated by recent empirical studies—also flow. In the context of fiction reading, flow—generally defined as a pleasurable state of mind experienced during an optimally stimulating activity—is specifically related to an optimal balance between text‐driven challenges and the reader’s capabilities in constructing a mental story model. The experimental study reported here focused on the psychophysiological underpinnings of flow in the reading context. Cardiovascular data were collected from 84 participants both during a relaxation baseline prior to reading and during reading. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three versions of a chapter from Homer’s Odyssey. According to statistical readability indices, these versions were low, intermediate, or high in readability, and hence in cognitive challenge. Flow was measured immediately after reading with a self‐report scale that was tailored to assess reading‐specific flow experiences. Regression analyses revealed that cardiovascular activation patterns measured before reading that are reflective of parasympathetic dominance—that is, an inner state associated with relaxation and cognitive fluency—moderated flow experiences during reading. In line with the stipulations of flow theory in regard to matching challenge levels being the key determinant for flow, this pattern supported subsequent flow experiences only in response to text versions of high or intermediate, but not of low cognitive challenge. Differences in cardiac vagal tone during reading were, however, not sensitive to our experimental modifications and not predictive of flow experiences.

Book Consumption Literature : Literature Review on the Subject of the Behavior of Book Consumers

“…An odd experiment is detailed in 'At the Heart of Optimal Reading Experiences' which reads the heartrates of reading subjects. (Thissen et al, 2021).…”

“…An interesting study measured the heart rate and flow of test subjects while they were reading. (Thissen et al, 2021) This kind of experiments are expensive and require complex arrangements, however they provide essential data on consumer behavior.…”

Physiological synchrony and shared flow state in Javanese gamelan: positively associated while improvising, but not for traditional performance

“…Accordingly, the differences in findings between experience levels and playing conditions are not necessarily surprising. Levels of attention may not affect parasympathetic activity ( Pérez et al, 2021 ), while the degree of challenge and associated effort facilitating flow experience might ( Thissen et al, 2021 ). Further to this, sympathetic activation as an indicator of arousal appears to form an inverted U-shape relationship with flow ( Peifer et al, 2014 ; Tozman et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Much of the work on physiological indicators of flow state has primarily assessed Heart Rate Variability (HRV) which has been associated with domains of flow linked to concentration or balanced challenge and skill. This has been observed through a linear relationship with parasympathetic activation ( Peifer et al, 2014 ; Tozman et al, 2015 ; Bian et al, 2016 ; Thissen et al, 2021 ), and moderate sympathetic activation ( de Manzano et al, 2010 ; Peifer et al, 2014 ). Taken together, these findings form a varied understanding of how cardiovascular activity might be related to flow, but generally, it is agreed that it is indicative of co-regulation of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity ( Ullén et al, 2010 ; Tian et al, 2017 ; Thissen et al, 2021 ), potentially in the form of an inverted-u-shape ( Peifer et al, 2014 ; Bian et al, 2016 ).…”

“…There is a need to extend our understanding of physiological synchrony through quantitative naturalistic experimental designs ( Chabin et al, 2020 ; Tervaniemi, 2023 ), and the outlined literature indicates links between physiological mechanisms and flow states. While the one hand, individual flow has been related to physiological signatures ( de Manzano et al, 2010 ; Thissen et al, 2021 ), and on the other, shared actions are related to synchronised physiology, to our knowledge, no study yet has directly investigated these links between shared physiology with shared interactive flow and group flow. As Pels et al (2018) recommended, studies should investigate conditions under which group flow may occur.…”