Increased Wakefulness as Measured by the WAKE-16 is Related to Mindfulness and Emotional Self-Regulation in Experienced Buddhist Meditators

A new German-language questionnaire measuring 'wakefulness'—a transformed state of being involving expanded vision, relationship to the world, subjective experience, identity, and outlook—was tested for construct validity. Expert meditators scored significantly higher on the wakefulness inventory than demographically matched non-meditators, supporting the instrument's ability to distinguish between groups. Meditators also scored higher on mindfulness subscales of presence and acceptance, and on emotion regulation and body-related symbolization of emotions. Among meditators, wakefulness correlated positively with mindfulness and accepting one's own emotions, and negatively with experiencing overwhelming emotions. In non-meditators, wakefulness correlated only with accepting one's own emotions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to test and validate the German version of a new instrument for measuring “wakefulness”, defined as “an expansive, higher-functioning, and stable state of being in which a person’s vision of and relationship to the world are transformed, along with their subjective experience, their sense of identity and their conceptual outlook” (Taylor, 2017, p. 22). In order to test the construct validity of the new instrument (Inventory of Secular/Spiritual Wakefulness; WAKE-16), we performed a comparison between a group of expert meditators (n = 36) and demographically matched non-meditators (n = 36). Results showed significantly higher scores for the meditators on the WAKE-16, indicating construct validity of the new instrument. Meditators scored higher on the two mindfulness subscales of ‘presence’ and ‘acceptance,’ as well as on the SEE subscales of emotion regulation and body-related symbolization of emotions. Within the group of meditators, there were significant correlations between wakefulness and mindfulness (r = .614, p < .001), accepting one’s own emotions (r = .416, p = .012), and experiencing overwhelming emotions (r = -.424, p = .010). The only significant correlation in non-meditators was found between wakefulness and accepting one’s own emotions (r = .411, p = .008). The new instrument showed construct validity by discriminating between the two groups. Correlations between wakefulness and related psychological constructs indicate convergent validity. Future studies may attempt to increase discriminatory accuracy of the definition of wakefulness, as well as finding objective methods of measuring.