Study Reveals How the Brain Achieves Creative Flow State in Jazz Improvisation
Effortless, enjoyable productivity is a state of consciousness prized and sought after by people in various fields. It’s called “flow,” or the sense of being “in the zone.” A recent study from Drexel University’s Creativity Research Lab has shed light on how the brain enters this creative flow state, providing valuable insights into enhancing creativity through practice and relinquishment of control.
The study focused on jazz improvisation as a creative task to isolate flow-related brain activity. Led by John Kounios, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Creativity Research Lab, and David Rosen, a recent graduate from the College and Johns Hopkins University postdoc, the research team discovered that achieving creative flow involves two key factors: extensive experience and the release of control.
According to Kounios, flow is a state in which people are deeply involved in an activity to the point where nothing else seems to matter. It is an enjoyable experience that individuals are willing to pursue at great cost simply for the sake of doing it. While flow has been a topic of fascination and study for years, there has been no consensus on what it truly entails.
One theory suggests that flow is a state of hyperfocus, where individuals concentrate intensely on a task, shutting out distractions to achieve superior performance. Another theory proposes that flow occurs when the brain’s default-mode network, responsible for daydreaming and introspection, generates ideas under the supervision of the executive control network. This analogy likens the executive control network to a person supervising a TV by selecting the movie it streams.
However, the study presents an alternative theory: flow is expertise plus letting go. Through years of intense practice, the brain develops a specialized network or circuit that can automatically produce specific types of ideas with minimal conscious effort. In this view, the executive control network relaxes its supervision, allowing the specialized circuit to operate on autopilot without interference. The researchers found that people with extensive experience and the ability to release control are more likely to experience deep creative flow.
To test these theories, the researchers recorded high-density electroencephalograms (EEGs) from 32 jazz guitar players, some highly experienced and others less experienced. Each musician improvised to six jazz lead sheets and rated the intensity of their flow experience for each improvisation. The recorded improvisations were then played for four jazz experts who rated them for creativity.
The results showed that high-experience musicians experienced flow more often and more intensely than low-experience musicians, indicating that expertise enables flow. The EEGs revealed that a high-flow state was associated with increased activity in auditory and touch areas involved in music, as well as decreased activity in the brain’s executive control region. This suggests that creative flow is linked to reduced conscious control or letting go, a phenomenon known as “transient hypofrontality.”
Interestingly, the high-experience musicians showed greater activity in auditory and vision areas, but reduced activity in parts of the default-mode network. This suggests that the default-mode network does not contribute much to flow-related idea generation in these musicians. On the other hand, the low-experience musicians showed little flow-related brain activity.
The practical implication of these findings is that productive flow states can be achieved through practice and expertise in a particular creative field, coupled with training to withdraw conscious control once enough expertise has been acquired. This insight can pave the way for new techniques to instruct people in producing creative ideas.
In conclusion, the study reveals that achieving creative flow involves a combination of extensive experience and the ability to release control. It challenges previous theories about flow and provides a deeper understanding of how the brain operates during moments of deep creativity. By building expertise and learning to let go, individuals can tap into their brain’s specialized circuits and achieve the coveted state of creative flow. So, whether it’s playing an instrument, writing, coding, or any other creative pursuit, remember to practice, practice, practice, and then let go to unleash your creative potential.
