Mindful Attention Awareness Scale

Could you be paying more attention to the present moment? Take this test to find out if you live your life mindfully.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | October 30, 2024

Mindfulness, in a nutshell, is the concept of living in the present moment. This heightened awareness helps you become more attuned to your body, thoughts and environment. Mindfulness encourages people to accept the present moment rather than resisting or trying to escape it.

The benefits of practicing mindfulness are endless. Mindfulness practices like meditation have been shown to reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, increase focus and promote a sense of calm and well-being. Being mindful promotes a deeper connection to oneself and the world—which promotes a more balanced, reflective and peaceful way of living.

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale is one of the most popular measures of mindfulness. It is a psychometric tool focusing on people's capacity to maintain attention and awareness in everyday life. The scale assesses how frequently a person is consciously aware of what they are doing and experiencing in the present moment.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

Step 1: On a scale from never to always, rate the statements based on how frequently you exhibit the described behaviors.

1. I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until some time later.

2. I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention or thinking of something else.

3. I find it difficult to stay focused on what's happening in the present.

4. I tend to walk quickly to get where I'm going without paying attention to what I experience along the way.

5. I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention.

6. I forget a person's name almost as soon as I've been told it for the first time.

7. It seems I am "running on automatic," without much awareness of what I'm doing.

8. I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.

9. I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I'm doing right now to get there.

10. I do jobs or tasks automatically without being aware of what I'm doing.

11. I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.

12. I drive places on "autopilot" and then wonder why I went there.

13. I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.

14. I find myself doing things without paying attention.

15. I snack without being aware that I'm eating.

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores to people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.

References: Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 822–848.