What the NAS measures
Nonattachment is a flexible, balanced way of relating to one's experiences without clinging to them or suppressing them. A nonattached person can enjoy pleasant experiences without needing them to last forever, and can face difficult experiences without being ruled by them. Importantly, nonattachment is not detachment or indifference — nonattached people remain fully engaged with their thoughts, feelings, and relationships, just without rigid clinging.
The Nonattachment Scale, created by Sahdra, Shaver, and Brown (2010), turned this concept — rooted in more than two thousand years of Buddhist psychology — into a validated empirical measure. Candidate items were reviewed by nine experts from three major Buddhist traditions; the 30 items that survived rigorous psychometric reduction form the NAS-30. The scale shows strong reliability and good criterion and discriminant validity, and higher scores consistently predict greater well-being, life satisfaction, and prosocial behavior, and lower depression, anxiety, and stress.
Versions of the scale
- NAS-30 — the original 30-item scale (Sahdra, Shaver, & Brown, 2010). Best when nonattachment is a central focus of the study. Translations include Spanish and Chinese.
- NAS-7 — a 7-item short form (Sahdra, Ciarrochi, Parker, Marshall, & Heaven, 2015; Elphinstone, Sahdra, & Ciarrochi), ideal for large surveys and longitudinal studies where questionnaire space is limited.
- NAS-SF — an 8-item short form developed using item response theory (Elphinstone et al., 2018).
The NAS-7 items
Respondents rate each statement from 1 (Disagree Strongly) to 6 (Agree Strongly), answering according to what really reflects their experience:
- I can let go of regrets and feelings of dissatisfaction about the past.
- I can enjoy pleasant experiences without needing them to last forever.
- I view the problems that enter my life as things/issues to work on rather than reasons for becoming disheartened or demoralized.
- I can enjoy my family and friends without feeling I need to hang on to them.
- I can take joy in others' achievements without feeling envious.
- I do not get "hung up" on wanting an "ideal" or "perfect" life.
- When pleasant experiences end, I am fine moving on to what comes next.
Scoring
All NAS versions are scored by averaging the item ratings (all items are positively worded — no reverse scoring). Higher scores indicate greater nonattachment. There are no clinical cutoffs; the scale is designed for research and for tracking change over time.
Free downloads
The scale is free to use for research and clinical purposes. No permission needed — just cite the source papers below.
NAS-7 (PDF) NAS-7 (Word) Full chapter on the NAS & its versions (PDF)
The chapter (Devine, Elphinstone, Ciarrochi, & Sahdra) covers the NAS-30, NAS-7, and NAS-SF in detail, including psychometric properties, translations, and guidance on choosing between versions.
How to cite
Key research using the NAS
- Nonattachment protects adolescent mental health — a 3-year longitudinal study (Ciarrochi, Sahdra, Yap, & Dicke, 2020, Mindfulness)
- Nonattachment and mindfulness: related but distinct constructs (Sahdra, Ciarrochi, & Parker, 2016, Psychological Assessment)
- From experiential attachment to nonattachment: a theory-informed review (Ciarrochi et al., 2025, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science)
- Empathy and nonattachment independently predict prosocial behavior (Sahdra et al., 2015, Frontiers in Psychology)
Learn more
For an accessible introduction to nonattachment — what it is, what it isn't, and practices for developing it — see the non-attachment.com home page. For the full body of research, see Joseph Ciarrochi's publications (380+, many with free PDFs).