Julia F. Christensen

Julia F. Christensen, PhD, is a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. Her research on creativity, emotion, and the brain has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and on BBC podcasts.

Articles & Books From Julia F. Christensen

Flow For Dummies
Own Your Flow: Simple Strategies to Get in the Zone and Stay There Most of us have experienced being “in the zone.” It's an engaged and immersive mindset that leads to seemingly effortless creativity and productivity. Brain scientists and psychologists have a word for this state: flow. In Flow For Dummies, renowned neuroscientist Dr.
Explore Book
Cheat Sheet / Updated 06-25-2026
You might remember what it feels like to be in flow – perhaps from your childhood, perhaps from some random Saturday morning reading session, last winter’s ski slopes, or a night on the dance floor. But you can’t quite seem to find your way back there again. If you turn to artists, sports people and others who experience flow regularly for help, they usually can’t really pinpoint what it is that they do which tips their mind into flow.