Neural correlates of flow using auditory evoked potential suppression
arXiv Preprint Archive November 19, 2017 Kyongsik Yun, Saeran Doh, Elisa Carrus et al.
Flow, the hyper-engaged state often called 'being in the zone' in athletics, can be objectively measured using a non-disruptive EEG probe. By suppressing auditory evoked potentials while participants played a first-person shooter game, researchers tracked immersion depth continuously. Comparing this record with overall EEG data revealed neural correlates in the anterior cingulate cortex and temporal pole, which showed increased beta band activity, mutual connectivity, and feedback connectivity with primary motor cortex. These findings indicate that flow is a quantifiable state of consciousness identifiable across subjective, behavioral, and neural measures.