Objective: This work aimed to understand in which extent neurocognitive literature supports and improves Csikszentmihalyi’s flow experience characterization, as a process dependent on attention and executive functions.
Methods: PRISMA systematic review included flow related observational studies that had presented neuropsychological, neurophysiological and/or biometric measures, addressing attention and executive functions: problem solving, response monitoring and decision making.
Results: Neuroscientific literature showed that flow experiences: a) activate non-effortful cognitive resources, with increased precision in visual focalized, divided and sustained attention, with evidence of its moderation by social factors; b) are indexes of higher problem solving skills, in non-validated measures; c) activate broad and differential brain activity during response monitoring (N-back) and risk taking (gambling) tasks, providing neurological indexes in line with our differential understanding of task meaning as an emotional and cognitive updating process, through corresponding brain circuits, involving basal ganglia, temporal, insular and prefrontal areas; d) has not yet been associated with decision making, in reviewed observational studies.
Conclusions: This work highlights the lack of interdisciplinarity in the field. Implementing neurocognitive strategies seems to be a potential psychological resource for reaching and optimizing satisfying moments. Broad community-based psychoeducation or training would expand daily life and work commitment.