How 'flow state' can treat anxiety and depression | Steven Kotler

How to unlock your brain’s natural antidepressants.

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We live in a world filled with risk. But the human brain is not good at thinking in terms of probabilities.

Our fear response may not turn off until the perceived threat is completely gone. Can we find a way to adapt that doesn't involve reaching for prescription medication?

Flow might be the answer. When we are in a state of flow, our brain is flooded with the neurotransmitters that are the key to a happy mind.

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/flow-state/

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About Steven Kotler:
Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of ten bestsellers (out of thirteen books total), including The Art of Impossible, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, TIME and the Harvard Business Review. Steven is also the cohost of Flow Research Collective Radio, a top ten iTunes science podcast. Along with his wife, author Joy Nicholson, he is the co-founder of the Rancho de Chihuahua, a hospice and special needs dog sanctuary.

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Read more of our stories on managing mental health:
Neuroplasticity: how to use anxiety to improve your life
►https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/neuroplasticity-good-anxiety-wendy-suzuki/
Gene editing could reverse anxiety and alcohol-use disorder
► https://bigthink.com/health/gene-editing-treat-anxiety-alcoholism/
Microdosing psilocybin for anxiety and depression? A placebo may be just as good
► https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/microdosing-psilocybin/

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