Spatiotemporal dynamics of flow experience: an EEG microstate analysis
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) May 14, 2026 Shiva Khoshnoud, Federico Alvarez Igarzábal, Marc Wittmann
During flow, a state of full immersion in an activity, brain networks linked to self-referential thinking become less active. Using EEG microstate analysis of 43 people playing a video game, researchers found that two brain states associated with the default mode network (DMN) were shorter and occurred less often during flow compared to boredom or frustration. This suggests that flow reduces self-awareness by dampening DMN activity, similar to effects seen in meditation and psychedelic states.