Deliberate Practice and the Acquisition of Expert Performance
Author: K. Anders Ericsson (2008; foundational work from 1993 onward)
Research by psychologist Anders Ericsson shows that top performers reach expertise through deliberate, focused practice, not talent. Nurovibe helps you get into that focused state more consistently.
Key Findings:

• Expert performance is built through focused, structured practice, not talent.

• ​High performers train their attention deliberately to reach top levels.

Daily protocols help users get into the focused state expert performers use.
Link

Flow & optimal experience (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
Title: Beyond Boredom and Anxiety / Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (original flow research & model)
Authors: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1975; 1990)
Link
 
Investigating the “Flow” Experience: Key Conceptual and Methodological Issues
Authors: Abuhamdeh, 2020
Key Findings:

• Flow is a deep-focus state where people perform at their best.

• ​Flow requires clarity, reduced switching, and the right mental state.

​Link

Continuous Partial Attention
Title: Beyond Simple Multi-Tasking: Continuous Partial Attention
Author: Linda Stone (2009 blog/essay)
Tech writer Linda Stone coined “continuous partial attention” to describe our always-on, half-focused state.
Key Findings:

• Modern professionals live in a state of “continuous partial attention.”

• This state increases stress and reduces real focus.

Link

Background music & attention (sound/music for focus)
Title: The effect of preferred background music on task-focus in sustained attention
Authors: Kiss et al., 2020 (Frontiers in Psychology)
Key Findings:

• Preferred background music improved sustained attention in adults.

• Music modulated mental state and task performance.

Link

Title: Cognitive effects of listening to background music on older adults
Authors: Bottiroli et al., 2014 (Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience) 
Key Findings:

• Music supported processing speed and attention.

• Sound can help regulate cognitive state.

• Certain music conditions supported cognitive performance.

Link
 
Title: Cognitive performance, creativity and stress levels of young adults as a function of white noise level
Authors: Awada et al., 2022 (Scientific Reports) 
Key finding: Low-level white noise (~45 dB) improved sustained attention, accuracy, speed, creativity, and reduced stress in neurotypical adults.
Link

Binaural beats & attention (emerging evidence)
Title: More attentional focusing through binaural beats
Authors: Colzato et al., 2015 (Frontiers in Psychology) 
Key finding: High-frequency binaural beats biased attention toward a narrower “spotlight” of focus.
Evidence is mixed overall, but supports including binaural options with honest caveats.
Link

Title: Sleep and Human Aging
Authors: Mander, Winer, & Matthew Walker, 2017 (Neuron) 

Key Findings:

• Changes in sleep quality impact memory, brain function, and daytime performance.

• Consistent sleep routines improve restoration.

• Aging impacts sleep quantity/quality, with functional consequences for cognition, memory, and brain health.

Link

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Music interventions for sleep quality (adults, non-drug)

Title: Effects of music intervention on sleep quality of older adults: A meta-analysis
Authors: Wang et al., 2021 (Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice) 
Key finding: Music interventions improved sleep latency, duration, efficiency, and daytime dysfunction in older adults.

Link

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Title: Effect of music therapy on sleep quality in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li et al., 2025 
Key finding: Across 10 RCTs (602 participants), music therapy significantly improved sleep quality with a moderate–large effect size.

Title: Music-based intervention for improving sleep quality: systematic review & meta-analysis

Link

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Music-based Intervention for Improving Sleep Quality of Adults without Sleep Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Authors: Tang et al., 2022
Key Findings:

• Benefits were strongest with ≥3 weeks of consistent use.

Link

Psychological interventions for resilience in adults
Title: Psychological interventions for resilience enhancement in adults
Authors: Helmreich et al., 2017 (Systematic review)
Key finding: CBT, mindfulness, and related interventions significantly improve resilience in adult samples.
Link

Road to resilience: systematic review & meta-analysis
Title: Road to resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis of resilience training programs in adults
Authors: Joyce et al., 2018 (BMJ Open) 
Key finding: Resilience training programs yield small to moderate improvements in resilience and mental health outcomes.
Link

Psychological interventions to foster resilience (Cochrane-style review)
Title: Psychological interventions to foster resilience in adults
Authors: Kunzler et al., 2020 (Cochrane-style review, Clinical Psychology Review / Cochrane Library) 
Key finding: Multiple types of psychological interventions can enhance resilience, especially CBT and mindfulness-type approaches, with decent evidence quality.
Link

Digital resilience interventions
Title: Digital interventions to promote psychological resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Schäfer et al., 2024 (npj Digital Medicine) 
Key finding: Digital interventions (apps, online programs) show significant positive effects on resilience and related mental health measures in adults.
Link

Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal
Authors: Balban et al., 2023 (Cell Reports Medicine)
Key Findings:

• Daily 5-minute breathwork and mindfulness meditation improve mood and reduce anxiety

• Breathwork improves mood and physiological arousal more than mindfulness meditation

• Cyclic sighing is most effective at improving mood and reducing respiratory rate

Link