The musical mind in flow: creativity, performance, and the science of being ‘in the zone’

What happens when musical performance feels effortless, attention becomes completely absorbed and time seems to disappear?

In this seminar, Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya explores the psychology and neuroscience of flow in music. Drawing on recent research in cognitive science and music cognition, he examines the cognitive, emotional and neural processes associated with this state, alongside the roles of expertise, personality and practice.

He will also propose a theoretical framework in which expertise, autonomy and release combine to produce optimal musical experiences, considering the implications for how musicians practise, perform and teach.

The seminar forms part of the Department of Music’s autumn research colloquia at The University of Hong Kong.

Professor Bhattacharya is a professor at the Academy of Music, Hong Kong Baptist University, and was formerly Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research brings together psychology, neuroscience and the arts to investigate creativity, musical experience, aesthetic perception and altered states of consciousness.