People in flow often make the difficult look easy, an external appearance that
mirrors what is happening in their brain. Flow poses a neural paradox: We can be
engaged in an exceptionally demanding task, and yet our brain is operating with
a minimal level of activity or expenditure of energy. The reason seems to be that
when we are bored and apathetic, or frenzied with anxiety, our brain activity is
diffused; the brain itself is at a high level of activation, albeit poorly focused, with
brain cells firing in far-flung and irrelevant ways. But during flow, the brain
appears efficient and precise in its pattern of firing. The result is an overall
lowering of cortical arousal – even though the person may be engaged in an
extremely challenging task.
mirrors what is happening in their brain. Flow poses a neural paradox: We can be
engaged in an exceptionally demanding task, and yet our brain is operating with
a minimal level of activity or expenditure of energy. The reason seems to be that
when we are bored and apathetic, or frenzied with anxiety, our brain activity is
diffused; the brain itself is at a high level of activation, albeit poorly focused, with
brain cells firing in far-flung and irrelevant ways. But during flow, the brain
appears efficient and precise in its pattern of firing. The result is an overall
lowering of cortical arousal – even though the person may be engaged in an
extremely challenging task.
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