Individual differences in flow proneness are linked to a dopamine D2 receptor gene variant

Mate Gyurkovics, Eszter Kotyuk, Eniko Rozsa Katonai, Erzsebet Zsofia Horvath, Andrea Vereczkei, Anna Szekely

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Flow is a special mental state characterized by deep concentration that occurs during the performance of optimally challenging tasks. In prior studies, proneness to experience flow has been found to be moderately heritable. In the present study, we investigated whether individual differences in flow proneness are related to a polymorphism of the dopamine D2 receptor coding gene (DRD2 C957T rs6277). This polymorphism affects striatal D2 receptor availability, a factor that has been shown to be related to flow proneness. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the association between this trait and a specific gene variant. In a sample of 236 healthy Hungarian adults, we found that CC homozygotes report higher flow proneness than do T allele carriers, but only during mandatory activities (i.e., studying and working), not during leisure time. We discuss implications of this result, e.g., the potential mediators of the relationship.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-8
Number of pages8
JournalConsciousness and Cognition
Volume42
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2016

Keywords

  • DRD2 C957T
  • Flow proneness
  • Genetic association

Cite this