Creative flow: what’s going on inside the brain when everything just clicks – podcast

If you’ve ever experienced a state of creative flow, perhaps when writing, playing music, or even gardening, you’ll know that it feels like everything just clicks into place. But what is actually happening inside the brain?

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to a neuroscientist who scanned the brains of jazz musicians as they were improvising, and revealed the secret ingredients need to achieve a state of flow.

21min listen

A state of flow is not only reserved for artists; actuaries are likewise incredibly creative in their work. Note the findings on how important experience is, in being able to improvise. Improvisation is another way of solving problems you have never come across in real time, similar to applying the actuarial control cycle to a problem.

Bipolar disorder: we’ve pinpointed the brain areas which drive mood bias

Moods and emotions play an important role in our day-to-day life. They even influence how we experience things – for instance, whether we start the day feeling hopeful and energised or grumpy and lethargic. This can affect whether we interpret events in a positive or negative light.

In people with bipolar disorder, however, mood can change quickly and unpredictably, so that you get “stuck” in a low or high mood, which can have significant consequences. Yet researchers don’t know exactly what drives such extreme shifts in mood.

4min read

ASSA Personal Development (APD) brings you the Winter Programme

Exploring the determinants of success

The Winter Programme will be held on 17 July from 09:00 – 16:00 is fully online and free! Please join us for whatever session interests you as well as the remote coffee networking event at lunchtime 12:45 – 13:45. Register as an event delegate here, if you are not a member of ASSA. The event is free, but you need to provide your billing details, nonetheless.

Men’s Mental Health Month | Focus on men’s access to mental healthcare

Although great strides are being made to tackle men’s mental health issues, toxic masculinity and lack of seeking help have resulted to some men turning to inappropriate coping mechanisms such as substance use, violent behaviour or worse, suicide.

This 15 minute discussion looks at the underlying causes of these conditions with experts in the studio.