Flow in contemporary musicians: Individual differences in flow proneness, anxiety, and emotional intelligence

Abstract

Flow is a highly focussed state of consciousness that is rewarding, fulfilling, and sought after by many, especially musicians. It is characterised by exceptional levels of concentration, loss of self-consciousness, and competent control over one’s actions. Several personality and non-cognitive traits have been positively linked with flow proneness, such as emotional intelligence; however, anxiety is thought to be the antithesis of flow, yet the relationship between trait anxiety and flow proneness in musicians is not adequately characterised. This study investigated the individual differences in flow proneness in contemporary musicians (N = 664), focusing on the interaction of trait anxiety and emotional intelligence. We identified a significant negative correlation between trait anxiety and flow. Emotional intelligence was positively correlated with flow proneness and negatively with trait anxiety. Moderation analysis revealed a difference in the relationship between trait anxiety and flow depending on the level of emotional intelligence; there was no correlation in those with low emotional intelligence, whereas a strong negative relationship was found in those with high emotional intelligence. Finally, hierarchical regression indicated that musical training was the most substantial predictor of all the tested variables and that trait anxiety did not add any predictive power on top of the known predictors. Altogether, this study provided new insights into the possible disruption of flow proneness linked to high anxiety and low emotional intelligence in contemporary musicians.

Emotionality and performance: An emotion-regulation approach to music performance anxiety

“…Emotional intelligence, a source of a musician's emotional stability and psychological wellbeing, is an important determinant of performance success (Manturzewska, 1974;Marin & Bhattacharya, 2013). It has been shown not only to be positively correlated with flow and negatively correlated with trait anxiety but also to moderate the relationship between flow and anxiety (Rakei et al, 2022).…”

Emotional-based pedagogy and facilitating EFL learners' perceived flow in online education

“…As already noted, the flow experience is characterized by a condition in which the individual is completely immersed in actions with a high degree of intrinsic motivation and it has been found related to some positive experiences including well-being, enjoyment, affect, and satisfaction. It is now well-established from a variety of studies that EI and flow are linked (Culver and Yokomoto, 1999 ; Li and Dewaele, 2020 ; Wang and Shaheryar, 2020 ; Rakei et al, 2022 ). In this part of the study, we wish to discuss a number of flow-related studies dealing with a wide range of concepts associated with different components of emotional intelligence as proposed by Petrides et al ( 2006 ), including well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability.…”

Professional status matters: Differences in flow proneness between professional and amateur contemporary musicians.

“…Musicians frequently contend with music performance anxiety (MPA), commonly referred to as stage fright, which is known to have an inverse relationship with flow proneness (Cohen & Bodner, 2019a). Anxiety is often described as the antithesis of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975(Csikszentmihalyi, , 1990, and musicians who achieve flow regularly report a greater sense of wellbeing (Fritz & Avsec, 2007), along with lower levels of anxiety, both at the trait (Rakei et al, 2022) and at the state level-MPA in this case (Cohen & Bodner, 2019a;Kirchner et al, 2008). Cohen and Bodner (2019a, 2019b, 2021 have suggested the possibility of utilizing flow as a means to managing MPA and have found differences in both anxiety and flow among orchestral musicians.…”

“…When flow is present, the beholder experiences effortless yet precise actions, particularly during demanding situations, and this is highly desirable. Although some people are naturally more flow prone, with the heritability rate thought to be between 29% and 35% (Mosing, Magnusson, et al, 2012), there are also links to flow-conducing personality factors such as conscientiousness, openness (de Manzano et al, 2013; Ullén et al, 2012), emotional intelligence and low trait anxiety (Marin & Bhattacharya, 2013; Rakei et al, 2022). Furthermore, there are positive associations with environmental factors in musicians, such as the hours dedicated to musical practice (Marin & Bhattacharya, 2013; Tan et al, 2021) and general musical training (Rakei et al, 2022; Tan et al, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, skill in a particular area is imperative for achieving flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997), and highly trained musicians are more prone to flow states (O’Neill, 1999; Rakei et al, 2022; Tan et al, 2021). The more one practices, the more opportunities one has to find the “challenge–skill balance,” which is a fundamental component of flow (Engeser & Rheinberg, 2008; Fullagar et al, 2013).…”