Using caffeine as a chemical means to induce flow states.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews April 1, 2024 Niklas Reich, Michael Mannino, Steven Kotler
Caffeine, a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist, may facilitate the flow state—an intrinsically rewarding condition of total task absorption and optimal performance—through several biological mechanisms. These include upregulating dopamine D1/D2 receptor affinity in reward-related brain areas, protecting dopaminergic neurons, increasing norepinephrine release and alertness, heightening parasympathetic high frequency heart rate variability, modifying striatal endocannabinoid-CB1 receptor signaling, and shifting brain network activity toward executive function. The review also discusses caffeine's application for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and notes caveats, aiming to inspire future studies on caffeine-induced flow.