EEG findings during flow state

Peripheral-physiological and neural correlates of the flow experience while playing video games: a comprehensive review

“…Since the immersion condition of the game required navigating through landmarks, the authors argued that high theta activity in this level might be attributed to its architectural complexity. In another study, EEG correlates of the flow state induced by playing a ping-pong video game were investigated at two levels, slow as under-challenge and fast as flow inducing ( Metin et al, 2017 ). EEG-frequency power evaluations revealed higher mean theta power during the flow condition for all regions of interest and higher mean delta power in frontal, central, and parietal regions compared to the non-flow condition.…”

“…Frontal-midline-theta activation has been linked to concentration, working memory, and sustained attention (Cavanagh & Frank, 2014). High theta activity reported during flow (Katahira et al, 2018;Metin et al, 2017;Nacke, Stellmach & Lindley, 2011) may well reflect focused attention. We consider the flow state to be accompanied by an efficient attentional effort and that the coupled activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can be used to distinguish this joyous state of focused attention from a purely onerous mental experience.…”

Detecting Students’ Flow States and Their Construct Through Electroencephalogram: Reflective Flow Experiences, Balance of Challenge and Skill, and Sense of Control

“…This restriction has hidden various critical information because a flow state fluctuates depending on the time and situation (Pearce et al., 2005). In addressing this issue, some studies have attempted to detect neurophysiologic activities when students are working to obtain real-time and more objective measurements (Bos et al., 2019; Cheron, 2016; Harris et al., 2017; Katahira et al., 2018; Lin & Kao, 2018; Metin et al., 2017; Yang et al., 2019). Nevertheless, while these previous studies have measured partial flow-related neurophysiologic activities using EEGs, a more comprehensive method for detecting the flow state itself has not yet been well established.…”

Peer Review #1 of "Peripheral-physiological and neural correlates of the flow experience while playing video games: a comprehensive review (v0.1)"

“…Since the immersion condition of the game required navigating through landmarks, the authors argued that high theta activity in this level might be attributed to its architectural complexity. In another study, EEG correlates of the flow state induced by playing a ping-pong video game were investigated at two levels, slow as boring and fast as flow inducing (Metin et al, 2017). EEG-frequency power evaluations revealed higher mean theta power during the flow condition for all regions of interest and higher mean delta power in frontal, central, and parietal regions compared to the non-flow condition.…”

“…Frontal-midline-theta activation has been linked to concentration, working memory, and sustained attention (Cavanagh & Frank, 2014). High theta activity reported during flow (Katahira et al, 2018;Metin et al, 2017;Nacke et al, 2011) may well reflect focused attention. We consider the flow state to be accompanied by an efficient attentional effort and that the coupled activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can be used to distinguish this joyous state of focused attention from a purely onerous mental experience.…”