UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) Test

Understand how loneliness and social disconnection show up for you in about 4 minutes. Quick 20 item results pinpoint emotional and behavioral patterns to guide next steps in support.

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Questions: 204 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

28,798 views

3,369 completions

2,752 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

35/60

Loneliness Scale (LS)

Measures the overall intensity of subjective loneliness across emotional, cognitive, and behavioral experiences of social connection and isolation.

Low loneliness

High loneliness

0 – 28: Low loneliness | 29 – 60: High loneliness

A score of 35 falls in the High loneliness range, suggesting a relatively pronounced subjective sense of isolation and dissatisfaction with social contacts.

example score

4/9

Perceived Lack of Understanding by Others (PLoUbO)

Measures the extent to which a person feels misunderstood by others and perceives a lack of support, as a cognitive component of loneliness.

Low

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 9: High

A score of 4 falls in the Low range, suggesting occasional or mild feelings of being misunderstood or unsupported rather than a persistent sense of alienation.

example score

14/30

Impaired Social Contacts (ISC)

Assesses behavioral signs of loneliness reflected in isolation, alienation, and reduced social activity that can disrupt social connections.

Lower disruption

Higher disruption

0 – 15: Lower disruption | 16 – 30: Higher disruption

A score of 14 falls in the lower disruption range, suggesting relatively fewer behavioral difficulties with initiating or maintaining social contacts at this time.

example score

9/21

Negative Affect (NA)

Measures the intensity of negative emotional experiences associated with loneliness, such as isolation, rejection, and worthlessness.

Low

High

0 – 9: Low | 10 – 21: High

A score of 9 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively limited negative emotional experiences related to loneliness at this time.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Feeling socially disconnected

41%OF USERS

People who feel left out or isolated take it to understand how strong their loneliness is and what parts of connection feel hardest.

Life transition stress

34%OF USERS

Those going through moves, breakups, starting university, or changing jobs use it to check whether loneliness is increasing during the adjustment.

Clients in counseling

25%OF USERS

People already working with a psychologist or support group take it to track progress and clarify which support strategies to focus on.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Loneliness Scale (LS)

Average

28.2

Normal range

18.8 — 37.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Misunderstanding by others (Mbo)

Average

4.5

Normal range

3.3 — 5.7

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Disruption of Social Contacts (DoSC)

Average

8.6

Normal range

3.4 — 13.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Negative Experiences (NE)

Average

7.8

Normal range

4 — 11.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Often
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Never
- Often
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Never
- Often
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Never

These are 3 of the 20 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) Test - Symptoms and Signs

loneliness

social alienation

Loneliness is a clinically relevant indicator of perceived social connection and emotional well-being. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) is a self-report measure designed to assess subjective feelings of loneliness and perceived social isolation. It is commonly used in clinical screening and research contexts to inform case conceptualization and track change over time.

The instrument includes 20 items and typically takes about 4 minutes to complete. Respondents rate statements reflecting perceived social relationships and connectedness, supporting a structured estimate of loneliness severity. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) was developed by Daniel W. Russell and Mary E. Ferguson, and results should be interpreted within the broader clinical context, including mood, anxiety, and interpersonal functioning.

Author: Daniel W. Russell, Letitia Anne Peplau, Mary E. Ferguson

Literature: Cacioppo, J. T., & Patrick, W. Loneliness: Human nature and the need for social connection. W. W. Norton. 2008.; Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2010.; Russell, D. W. UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment. 1996.