What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate the physiological manifestations of flow experiences in chess players using the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat.

May 26, 2026Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback0 citationsOpen Access

When Challenge Turns into Threat at the Chessboard: Cardiovascular Reactivity and Flow Across Two Hours of Task Performance

DSDominik StöckleUniversität Ulm DSDaan ScheepersLeiden University MBMichael BarthelmäsUniversität Ulm

Key Points

To investigate the physiological manifestations of flow experiences in chess players using the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat.
Measured impedance cardiography, electrocardiography, and blood pressure in 32 chess players over two hours.
Participants completed 'mate in two moves' tasks under balanced skill-demand conditions.
Self-reported flow experiences assessed post-task.
Participants exhibited a modest cardiovascular challenge pattern initially and shifted to a cardiovascular threat pattern after one hour.
High perceived balance of skills and demands correlated with subjective flow experience but had limited relation to cardiovascular responses.
Indicators of motivational disengagement were noted alongside the threat pattern.

Abstract

Although flow experience has become a widely studied phenomenon in recent decades, research on its physiological manifestations is still limited. With the present study, we aimed to fill part of this research gap by approaching the flow concept from a biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat (BPS-CT) perspective. Impedance cardiography, electrocardiography and blood pressure of chess players (N = 32) were measured continuously while they completed a two-hour session of "mate in two moves" tasks on a computer under conditions of a balance of skills and task demands. Self-reported flow was assessed afterwards. On a descriptive level, results revealed the occurrence of (a) a modest cardiovascular challenge pattern during an initial phase of task engagement and (b) a cardiovascular threat pattern after one hour until the end of task performance, accompanied by cardiovascular indicators of motivational disengagement. On average, participants reported a high perceived balance of skills and demands and subjective flow experience, which was negatively associated with perceived strain but mostly unrelated to cardiovascular reactivity. The benefits, limitations and future potential of applying the BPS-CT framework to the study of the physiological implications of prolonged flow experiences are discussed.

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