The Conversation Weekly The secret ingredients for creative flow
Aug 28, 2025
John Kounios is a neuroscientist at Drexel University specializing in the neuroscience of creativity. He shares fascinating insights into the brain activity of jazz musicians as they improvise, revealing how expert and novice practices differ neurologically. Kounios discusses the roles of left and right brain hemispheres, emphasizing how experienced musicians tap into their left hemisphere for seamless improvisation. He also highlights the delicate balance between cognitive control and creativity, noting the evolutionary benefits of achieving a state of creative flow.
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A Researcher's Personal Flow Moments
- John Kounios describes his own writing: some days it's a struggle, other days he writes a near-final product without stopping.
- He experiences flow occasionally and wishes to have it more often.
Flow Is Effortless, Absorbing Attention
- Flow is experienced as effortless attention and total absorption in a task.
- Ideas arrive smoothly and the state feels pleasurable and distraction-free.
Jazz As A Window Into Creativity
- Jazz improvisation provides measurable, real-time creative output that can be recorded and rated.
- That makes jazz a powerful experimental tool for studying creative flow in the brain.