Body Awareness Test (MAIA-2)

The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2) was developed to address a gap in how psychology understands our relationship with our bodies. Historically, many clinical tools treated physical focus as a sign of anxiety or hypochondriasis. However, researcher Wolf Mehling and his colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco recognized that paying attention to the body can be a healthy, adaptive skill. In 2018, they refined the MAIA-2 to capture the constructive ways people notice, regulate, and trust their internal physical states. Rather than viewing body awareness as a single trait, the instrument treats it as a multidimensional skill set that can be cultivated over time.

The framework breaks body-awareness skill down into eight distinct facets that shape your daily life. Noticing is your basic capacity to perceive physical sensations like tension, comfort, or discomfort. Not Distracting reflects whether you avoid these sensations or instead allow yourself to feel them without immediately trying to power through or ignore them. Not Worrying measures your ability to experience physical pain or discomfort without becoming upset or fearing that something is terribly wrong. Attention Regulation is your capacity to hold your focus on your breath or internal sensations even when your environment is busy or distracting. Together, these four facets establish how you direct your conscious attention toward your physical self.

The remaining four facets explore how you interpret and integrate these physical signals. Emotional Awareness is the ability to notice how your body changes in response to feelings like anger or peace, recognizing that emotions have physical homes. Self Regulation is your capacity to use physical awareness, such as deep breathing, to restore a sense of calm when you feel overwhelmed. Body Listening involves actively seeking information from your body to help guide your decisions and understand your emotional state. Finally, Trusting represents how safe and at home you feel in your own body, viewing your physical sensations as helpful allies rather than threats.

Scientific research using the MAIA-2 has shown that a well-developed body-awareness skill is closely tied to emotional health and resilience. People who score highly on these dimensions often manage stress more effectively, as they can catch early physical signs of burnout and use self-regulation techniques to calm their nervous systems. Conversely, low body awareness or high physical worry is frequently linked to chronic pain, anxiety, and emotional difficulties. By learning to listen to the body without judgment, individuals can bridge the gap between mind and physical self, leading to more balanced decision-making and a greater sense of overall well-being.

To help you understand your scores, the chart places your results beside estimated comparison markers. These markers are approximate: they are informed estimates rescaled from general trends in published samples, not validated population percentiles or standardized norms for this specific test. Treat them as a rough backdrop for self-reflection, not as a precise benchmark.

This test is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a diagnostic instrument, does not offer medical advice, and is not affiliated with Wolf Mehling, the University of California, San Francisco, or the authors of the MAIA-2. Your profile describes your current habits of physical attention, not a fixed medical verdict. If you have concerns about your health, please consult a qualified professional.

References

• Mehling, W. E., Acree, M., Stewart, A., Silas, J., & Jones, A. (2018). The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). PLOS ONE, 13(12), e0208034.