What happens when we slip into “the zone”—and how can we control it? Phish bassist Mike Gordon has chased that question for years. Unraveling the mysteries of flow states demands—at a minimum—a better understanding of what is happening in the body and brain during a flow state. Perhaps then, flow states can be harnessed for greater creative potential.
After many years of impactful performances and a long-lasting interest in brain activity, Mike is set on finding answers. With this renowned musician leading the effort, a network of passionate researchers, and the latest biometric technology, we are set for a breakthrough.
Introducing Mike's Team
Mike assembled a research team of some of the smartest and most enterprising folks around for his project, including university professors Greg Appelbaum (UC San Diego) and Suzanne Dikker (NYU). But a project of this magnitude takes more than two.
Professor Dikker reached out to EmotiBit’s founder, Sean Montgomery, about joining the project. With Sean’s neuroscience background, years of expertise in biometric sensing, and personal musical interest, becoming involved was a clear fit.
The Role of EmotiBit
Uncovering the secrets of flow requires scientifically validated, high-quality data. Will flow states be found from data from heart rate (HR), blood pressure/the rate of breathing (PPG), activity from sweat glands (EDA), or something completely different? Could a combination of metrics show us the way?
The EmotiBit wearable allows for 16+ data streams−including body temperature, HR, PPG, EDA (also known as GSR), and IMU−that’s been scientifically validated and studied many times. With numerous data streams being collected at once, Mike’s team can be sure that they are getting as much data as possible out of every test.
To create scenarios where a flow state is activated, Mike Gordon teamed up with Bob Weir of Grateful Dead fame for one-of-a-kind studio jam sessions. Each ucisian wears EmotiBit on their forehead with an EEG brainwave monitoring device to gain insight into body and brain activity.
As biomwtric signals are being captured during their music, Mike and Bob hit foot pedals to indicate that they are in a flow state. Audience members, including Mike’s longtime producer Jared Slomoff, also indicate when they perceive a flow state. These manual signals are recorded alongside biosignals collected from EmotiBits during the jam session.
In the first video above, Mike and Bob jam to Grateful Dead song “He’s Gone” while Diane, Mike, Jared, Bob, and John press indicators when they think a flow state is occurring. In the second video, we can peek into some of the physiological metrics collected by Mike’s EmotiBit as he jams with Bob.
As the project matures, the manual step of recording a flow state experience may be replaced with an insightful algorithm. Some day, artists might be alerted by such a biofeedback-based algorithm that their brain is near reaching a flow state which could spur increased creativity and enjoyment.
XenboX
Mike’s project, called XenboX, includes an EmotiBit, Adafruit Feather, headband, and a custom PCB interface board. The custom board is used to label data with flow states via foot pedal presses. The EmotiBit wearable is open source, easily customizable with Adafruit Feather stacking headers, and all data is 100% user owned, which makes it a versatile choice for asking novel questions about signals from the body.
To learn more about the XenboX project, check out this Rolling Stone piece about its development.
Flowing Forward
Sean’s team at Connected Future Labs (our R&D consulting arm) immensely enjoyed working with Mike Gordon and all the folks involved Mike’s project is exactly the types of innovative, pushing-the-boundaries-of-science project that Connected Future Labs strives to collaborate with. Connected Future Labs has past projects in health & wellness, automotive, virtual reality and more, and is excited to help XenboX come to fruition.