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Doing and Being: Mindfulness, Health, and Quiet Ego Characteristics Among Buddhist Practitioners

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Abstract

We examined the relationship between meditation experience, psychological mindfulness, quiet ego characteristics, and self-reported physical health in a diverse sample of adults with a range of Buddhist experience (N = 117) gathered from a web-based survey administered to Buddhist practitioners around the world between August 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008. Practicing meditation on a regular basis and greater experience with Buddhism was related to higher psychological mindfulness scores. Psychological mindfulness was correlated with a latent variable called “quiet ego characteristics” that reflected measures based on Bauer and Wayment’s (Transcending self-interest: psychological explorations of the quiet ego. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, pp 7–19, 2008) conceptual and multidimensional definition of a “quiet ego”: wisdom, altruism, sense of interdependence with all living things, need for structure (reversed), anger/verbal aggression (reversed), and negative affectivity (reversed). In turn, quiet ego characteristics were positively related to self-reported health. Our findings provide continuing support for the key role psychological mindfulness may play in psychological and physical well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Northern Arizona University, Box 15106, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA

    Heidi A. Wayment

  2. College of Health & Human Services, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Bill Wiist

  3. Department of Comparative Cultural Studies, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Bruce M. Sullivan

  4. Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Meghan A. Warren

Authors
  1. Heidi A. Wayment
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  2. Bill Wiist
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  3. Bruce M. Sullivan
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  4. Meghan A. Warren
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Correspondence to Heidi A. Wayment.

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Wayment, H.A., Wiist, B., Sullivan, B.M. et al. Doing and Being: Mindfulness, Health, and Quiet Ego Characteristics Among Buddhist Practitioners. J Happiness Stud 12, 575–589 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9218-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9218-6

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