Today's Wednesday • 5 mins read
— By Dr. Sandip Roy.
Loneliness can eat you from the inside, even when you’re in a stable, long-term relationship.
You don’t have to be physically alone to feel lonely. You can suddenly feel all alone in a roomful of known people. Or, feel that your closest relationships don’t have any meaning and depth you crave.
Loneliness touches everyone at some point, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is when your loneliness doesn’t go away or keeps coming back.
Many do not recognize it happening, as you may not quite describe the hidden signs of your loneliness.
How can you measure how lonely you may actually be?
Measuring Your Loneliness: The UCLA Loneliness Scale
Experts use the UCLA Loneliness Scale to measure loneliness. It measures one’s experience of social isolation and disconnection.
Take the test to help understand not just whether you feel lonely, but how deeply these feelings affect your daily life:
Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale
INSTRUCTIONS: Indicate how often each of the statements below is descriptive of you.
Response Options:
- Often
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Never
Your Score: /60
Score Interpretation:
- 0-20: Low Loneliness
You generally feel connected to others and have satisfying social relationships. - 21-40: Moderate Loneliness
You may experience some feelings of loneliness, but you likely maintain meaningful connections with others. - 41-60: High Loneliness
Your score suggests you may be experiencing significant feelings of isolation.
Note: This scale is for educational purposes only and not a diagnostic tool. If you’re experiencing persistent feelings of loneliness or isolation that are impacting your well-being, please consider speaking with a mental health professional.
Whatever your score on the loneliness scale, it isn't the final word. Your score is just a peek into your social-emotional life, a starting point to understand your social needs and experience.
- The UCLA Loneliness Scale was developed by Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson (1978). Originally, it had all statements worded negatively. It biased people to be more agreeable to all statements. The results were less reliable.
- A revised version of the test (R-UCLA) by Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona came out in 1980. It had mixed wording. It asked about both positive social connections (“I have people I can turn to”) and feelings of isolation (“I feel left out”), giving a more complete picture of your social experience.
Final Words
Just remember, loneliness isn't a fixed thing. It's more of a spectrum, and it can shift over time.
If your score points to higher levels of loneliness, please know you're certainly not alone in feeling this way. In our hyper-connected but often surface-level world, loneliness is actually getting more and more common.
Sometimes, just putting a name to these feelings can start to lessen their grip on your everyday life. Talk about your feelings of loneliness with friends or family members you trust.
Please do not hesitate to seek the advice of a mental health professional.
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√ Also Read: 10 Hidden Signs of Loneliness: Being Lonely In A Crowd
√ Please share it with someone if you found this helpful.
