title: The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being.
abstract: Mindfulness is an attribute of consciousness long believed to promote well-being. This research provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. The development and psychometric properties of the dispositional Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) are described. Correlational, quasi-experimental, and laboratory studies then show that the MAAS measures a unique quality of consciousness that is related to a variety of well-being constructs, that differentiates mindfulness practitioners from others, and that is associated with enhanced self-awareness. An experience-sampling study shows that both dispositional and state mindfulness predict self-regulated behavior and positive emotional states. Finally, a clinical intervention study with cancer patients demonstrates that increases in mindfulness over time relate to declines in mood disturbance and stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, New York 14627-0266, USA. kirk@psych.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Kirk Warren
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D003071:Cognition; D003243:Consciousness; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011582:Psychological Theory; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology