Mindfulness Self-Assessment
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
How often do you run on autopilot? This assessment measures your tendency to be present and aware during everyday activities.
Based on research by Brown & Ryan (2003) · Not a diagnostic tool
You'll see 15 statements about everyday experiences. For each one, choose how frequently it happens to you. There are no right or wrong answers. Be honest about what you actually experience, rather than what you think you should say.
Your Results
Based on your 15 responses
How your score compares
Average scores from published research (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Carlson & Brown, 2005).
Related assessments
Mindfulness connects with several other areas of wellbeing. You might also find these useful.
This is not a diagnostic assessment. Your score reflects self-reported attention habits, not a clinical evaluation. If you have concerns about attention or focus, consider speaking with a professional. Read more about this tool.
The Research Behind This Assessment
The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale was developed through rigorous academic research and has been validated across thousands of participants worldwide.
From the Research
"Mindfulness is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present."
— 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(4), 822–848.
The MAAS measures dispositional mindfulness: your day-to-day tendency to pay attention to what's happening around you (and inside you) in the present moment.
It focuses on a single, specific dimension: attention and awareness. It does not measure acceptance, empathy, meditation skill, or mood. The scale deliberately excludes attitude and motivation to keep the measurement neutral.
Each question describes a common experience of being on "autopilot." A higher score means you rarely have these lapses. A lower score means they happen more often. That's it. No moral judgment, no diagnosis.
From the Research
"Higher MAAS scores correlated with lower mood disturbance and stress."
— Carlson, L. E. & Brown, K. W. (2005). Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a cancer population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 58(1), 29–33.
Average scores across populations
On the 1–6 scale, where higher means more mindful.
Sources: Brown & Ryan, 2003; Carlson & Brown, 2005.
Psychometric properties
The MAAS consistently shows strong reliability across diverse populations, including adults, college students, adolescents, and clinical groups. It has been validated in 10+ languages.
From the Research
"Correlational and experimental studies have shown that the MAAS taps a unique quality of consciousness. Higher mindfulness is associated with a variety of positive emotion regulation, behavior regulation, interpersonal, and well-being outcomes."
— Brown, K. W. & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848.
How we built this assessment
This tool is based on the original 15-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale developed by Brown and Ryan (2003). We closely followed the original scale's structure, response format (6-point frequency scale from "Almost Always" to "Almost Never"), and scoring method (mean of all items, range 1–6).
To respect intellectual property, we lightly rephrased each item while preserving its meaning. For example, the original driving-related item was adapted to "go places on autopilot" (similar to the validated adolescent version by Brown et al., 2011) to be inclusive of non-drivers.
Our scoring uses the same approach as the original: the average of all 15 responses. Higher scores indicate more mindful attention. We provide context using normative data from published studies (adult mean ~4.2, SD ~0.7), but we do not use official clinical cut-offs because the MAAS authors treat it as a continuous measure.
What we drew from
- Primary source: Brown & Ryan (2003) for the scale structure, items, and scoring
- Validation data: Carlson & Brown (2005) for clinical population norms and reliability
- Adaptation precedent: Brown et al. (2011) MAAS-Adolescent for item rewording guidance
- Comparative evidence: Kotzé & Nel (2016) for workplace relevance and comparison with other mindfulness measures
We are not affiliated with the original scale authors or their institutions. This adaptation has not been independently validated. We encourage transparency about this and recommend the original MAAS for clinical or research settings.
About This Mindfulness Assessment
This tool provides a research-grounded way to reflect on your everyday attention habits. It is an educational resource, not a clinical instrument.
This assessment is inspired by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) published by Brown, K. W. & Ryan, R. M. (2003) in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. We adapted the item wording for this online format while preserving the original meaning, response scale, and scoring methodology. Normative comparisons reference data from Brown & Ryan (2003) and Carlson & Brown (2005). This is not the official MAAS instrument. We are not affiliated with the original authors or the Center for Self-Determination Theory.
This adapted version has not undergone independent validation. Self-report measures are affected by honesty, current mood, and interpretation of questions. Your score may differ from what you would get on the original MAAS. A low score does not indicate any disorder or diagnosis. The MAAS measures only the attention/awareness aspect of mindfulness, not acceptance, compassion, or other facets.
If you find it very difficult to stay present and it affects your daily life (frequent forgetfulness, accidents, or an inability to focus), consider discussing this with a healthcare provider. Attention difficulties can be related to stress, sleep, or other treatable factors. Mindfulness is a skill that many people improve with practice, and formal programs like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) have a strong evidence base.
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(4), 822–848. PDF
- Carlson, L. E. & Brown, K. W. (2005). Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a cancer population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 58(1), 29–33. PDF
- Brown, K. W., West, A. M., Loverich, T. M. & Biegel, G. M. (2011). Assessing adolescent mindfulness: Validation of an adapted MAAS. Psychological Assessment, 23(4), 1023–1033. Link
- Kotzé, M. & Nel, P. (2016). The psychometric properties of the MAAS and FMI and their relationship with burnout and work engagement. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 42(1), a1366. Link