Media entertainment, flow experiences, and the synchronization of audiences

In this chapter, we review the Synchronization Theory of Flow, focusing on several ways in which this neurobiologically-rooted conceptualization of flow has catalyzed progress in how we understand and study entertainment media. We hone in specifically on a few areas in which STF may be of special interest for future theoretical integration. These include: a) the role(s) of motivation and objective/subjective effort in predicting media selection, processing, and evaluation; b) how and when communication and media (entertainment) elicit synchrony between and within neurobiological systems; and c) how flow may serve as a bridge between the field of neuroaesthetics and the large body of literature investigating appreciation and enjoyment of entertainment media.