Loneliness (ULS-8)

The short UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8, Hays & DiMatteo) measures the subjective feeling of loneliness and isolation — not the number of people around, but the sense of "I have no one," "I'm on the sidelines," "people are around, but not with me." Loneliness is not the same as being alone: you can feel lonely in a crowd and not feel lonely by yourself. Chronic subjective loneliness is a risk factor for the psyche, so it's worth tracking.

Before you start

This is a subjective self-reported feeling, not an objective measure of your social life. Loneliness is about the quality of connection, not the number of contacts, and it can be reduced by changing not only circumstances but also how you allow yourself to truly be with people.