Body Awareness,Emotional Clarity,and Authentic Behavior: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Emotional clarity is considered a basic component of self-knowledge. However, not much is known regarding its association with self-knowledge in terms of bodily aspects, and the combinations by which these two aspects are used to enhance authentic living. Based on a salutogenic perspective, the current study examined whether emotional clarity and body awareness are associated. Further, we tested the hypothesis that these constructs contribute to authentic behavior through the moderation of mindfulness. 341 university students completed questionnaires assessing body awareness, emotional clarity, mindfulness, and authentic behavior. The findings indicated that body awareness and emotional clarity are moderately correlated. SEM analysis revealed that emotional clarity was correlated with authentic behavior, and that mindfulness moderated the association between body awareness and authentic behavior. Further, a two-factor model for authentic behavior was generated; intrapersonal-authenticity and interpersonal-authenticity. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that while emotional clarity was associated with both factors, body awareness was only associated with interpersonal-authenticity, through the moderation of mindfulness. Mindfulness further mediated the association between emotional clarity and interpersonal-authenticity. The findings indicate that body awareness and emotional clarity are pivotal for self-knowledge processes, yet demonstrate a complicated mechanism under which they operate. While emotional information seems to be more accessible for authentic behavior enhancement, the use of bodily information is conditioned by mindfulness.