title: The relationship between flow, sleepiness and cognitive performance: the effects of short afternoon nap and bright light exposure.
abstract: "Flow" is a positive emotional state which typically occurs when a person perceives a balance between the challenges associated with a situation and his or her capabilities to accomplish these demands. While flow often occurs along with positive feelings and high introspective performance, only a few studies have investigated how it is associated with cognitive performance (i.e., objective performance). In the present study, we investigated the relationship between flow, emotions, and cognitive performance. A short nap (20 min) and bright light (>2,000 lux) techniques were used as experimental manipulations to enhance flow. Fifteen participants (31.3 ± 7.19 yr old) took part in four experimental conditions: rest, short nap, bright light, and nap and bright light. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated for flow and other indices using standardized data. Results showed that flow scores significantly increased after a short nap and under bright light exposure. The correlations between flow and reaction time were also significant. Flow was significantly associated with positive emotion and sleepiness. These results suggest that a short nap and bright light can be employed as a flow facilitator and that flow status can be used as an indicator in evaluating work efficiency and occupational mental health.
authors.affiliation: Human Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan. kaida-kosuke@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaida
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuzuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010789:Phototherapy; D011594:Psychometrics; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014851:Wakefulness