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Flow in Music and Arts

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Advances in Flow Research

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to discuss the literature on psychological flow experiences in relation to artistic creation and performance. In the first section, we review studies on state flow in music and dance. In the second section, we discuss collective flow experiences (‘group flow’) in artistic performances. The third section elaborates on the neurobiological underpinnings of creative cognition in relation to flow, and the relationship between flow, creativity, and quality of performance. In the fourth section, we discuss the relationship between dispositional flow (‘flow proneness’), expertise, and artistic creation. In summary, the literature on flow and artistic creativity is still relatively small, and more studies would be important to test key hypotheses and resolve inconsistencies in the literature, in particular concerning relations between state flow and creative output. We conclude by suggesting some possible future directions for work in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden

    László Harmat

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Örjan de Manzano & Fredrik Ullén

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  1. László Harmat
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  2. Örjan de Manzano
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  3. Fredrik Ullén
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Correspondence to László Harmat .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

    Corinna Peifer

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany

    Stefan Engeser

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Harmat, L., de Manzano, Ö., Ullén, F. (2021). Flow in Music and Arts. In: Peifer, C., Engeser, S. (eds) Advances in Flow Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_14

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