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A complexity-science framework for studying flow: using media to probe brain-phenomenology dynamics.
Fran Hancock1, Rachael Kee2, Fernando Rosas3
1The Institute for Human and Synthetic Minds, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Neuroimage
|June 10, 2026
Summary
Researchers used complexity science to study brain activity during different mental states. Flow is linked to lower global entropy, while boredom and frustration show distinct brain dynamics, offering new insights into media
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Complexity Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Consciousness involves diverse experiences, from immersion to monotony, with unclear neural origins.
- Flow, common in interactive media, is linked to performance and well-being, but current neural models are limited.
- Complexity science offers tools for brain-wide dynamics, rarely applied to flow, boredom, or frustration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if complexity science can differentiate flow, boredom, and frustration based on brain dynamics.
- To clarify the neural basis of these phenomenological experiences using advanced analytical tools.
- To explore the potential of complexity-based markers for understanding media's impact on the brain.
Main Methods:
- Induced flow, boredom, and frustration using a difficulty-titrated video game during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Collected concurrent behavioral and self-report data to correlate with neural activity.
- Applied complex systems analyses to fMRI data to examine brain-wide dynamics.
Main Results:
- Flow exhibited an inverse relationship with global entropy, suggesting reduced complexity.
- Boredom and frustration displayed unique configurations of brain dynamics metrics, differing from flow.
- Findings integrate prefrontal and network-synchrony observations within a dynamical systems framework.
Conclusions:
- Complexity science metrics can objectively discriminate between flow, boredom, and frustration states.
- Identified complexity-based markers offer potential for mapping the neural underpinnings of media-induced benefits.
- This study provides a unified dynamical systems framework for understanding consciousness and media interaction.
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