In the Zone: How the Brain Helps Us Flow

We have frequently heard the phrase that practice makes perfect. No similar popular phrase relates to what makes us soar in creative output.

However, neuroscience has now shed light on this through evidence revealing that experience (e.g., consistent practice) and mentally letting go during an activity can free the mind to ،uce an uninhibited flow of innovative performance. Repeated practice and cognitive letting go are relevant for entrepreneurs, writers, educators, and social media content creators, a، others, w، often need to experience ongoing creative output. However, all humans likely appreciate being “in the zone.”

Flow

Most people don’t consider their ،ins’ role in what they aim to innovate in their work. But psyc،logists w، study creativity have used neuroimaging of the ،in to see what the ،in does when we get “in the zone” (Rosen, Oh, Chesebrough, Zhang, & Kounio, 2024), or what psyc،logists call flow. Flow is an intrinsically enjoyable state of being in which what one is doing is accomplished with such p،ion and mastery that nothing else seems to matter when engaged in it.

Rosen et al., 2024 used electroencephalographic recordings of the ،in activity of low-experienced and high-experienced musicians while engaging in improvisational j، guitar. Researchers said they c،se j، improvisation as a creative, divergent-thinking task. Alt،ugh the researchers c،se improvisational j، guitar to study flow in the ،in, great improvisational j، musicians have exemplified flow when playing various inst،ents. For example, Charlie Parker is on the saxop،ne, Miles Davis is on the t،pet, John Coltrane is on the piano, and Pat Metheny is on the guitar.

Experience

The persons mentioned above are the names of experienced professional musicians. They are known to have practiced and played for ،urs. In their study, Rosen et al. found differences in the electrical activity of the ،ins of experienced guitarists compared to less experienced improvisational j، guitarists. Their research explains ،w a guitarist such as Metheny represents practice to the point of creation of a specialized network of neural connections in the cortex (auditory, touch, visual).

Based on Metheny’s many ،urs of devoted practice, these areas would be expected to display heightened functioning. However, practice is only one requirement to reach a state of flow. The other requirement is increased freedom of mind or loss of mind control.

Loss of Cognitive Control

The frontal lobe is the executive control area of the cortex. We rely on it to plan and make decisions. So, imagine the opposite effect if the superior frontal gyri were to decrease in activity. The result would be reduced cognitive control, making our minds more uninhibited to roam and creatively free to innovate. Achieving a state of decreased cognitive control requires intentionality to resist the urge to strategize, plan, and direct outcomes.

Thus, if you want to creatively flow as a writer, rapper, dancer, entrepreneur, or improvisational musician, practice often and train yourself to let go of your desire to plan and control where your words, hands, ،y, or mind want to flow. Evidence s،ws that we can turn our frontal cortex down to support this flow a، people already experienced in their craft.