Neuro-cognitive foundations of non-creative flow (FNC): an interdisciplinary perspective on algorithmic efficiency and metabolic economy

The present paper substantiates the concept of non-creative flow (FNC) as a long-standing neurobiological mechanism and a pillar of human evolution, distinct from creative flow (FC) through its algorithmic nature and high metabolic efficiency. The authors propose an interdisciplinary perspective correlating archaeological evidence from the Acheulean period (Stout & Chaminade, 2007) and the rigor of historical craftsmanship (Gerritsen, 2020) with thalamic filtering mechanisms (TRN) and the attenuation of the default mode network (DMN). Unlike creative flow, which seeks novelty, FNC is based on the minimization of prediction error (de Lange et al., 2018) and the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS), allowing for precision motor executions over variable durations.