Loneliness (UCLA-3)
How connected you feel to other people. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Hughes ME, Waite LJ, Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: results from two population-based studies. Res Aging. 2004;26(6):655–672. CareOps English translation of its existing Korean questionnaire. Wording, response choices and descriptive score ranges follow the CareOps version and have not been independently validated in English.
How to read the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale
The UCLA Loneliness Scale was developed by Russell and colleagues in 1978, and the three-item version on this page was shortened by Hughes and colleagues in 2004 for large population surveys. It asks about how disconnected you feel rather than how many people are around you. The three items cover lacking companionship, feeling left out and feeling isolated from others. This page uses an English translation of the CareOps version, which has not been independently validated in English.
Reading your results
The result screen shows 5 or below as lower loneliness and 6–9 as higher loneliness. Which item you marked as frequent matters: missing someone to be with feels different from feeling pushed out of a group. You can feel lonely among people and not lonely on your own. Loneliness that lasts can affect mood and sleep, so if your score is high, look for a place to talk about it.
A question to reflect on
Recall one moment in the past week when you felt even briefly understood by someone. Note who it was and what you talked about, then send that person a short message this week.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Loneliness (UCLA-3), and how long does it take?
- There are 3 questions, and it usually takes about 1 minute. For each question you choose one of 3 answers, from “Hardly ever” to “Often”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- I have plenty of friends, so why is my score high?
- The scale asks how connected you feel, not how many relationships you have. If there is no one you feel you can open up to, the score can be high.
- Can three questions measure loneliness?
- This version was designed for brief use in large surveys and gives a rough sense of the level. It does not show where the loneliness comes from, so note the situations that came to mind.
- I like being alone. Is that a problem?
- Enjoying time alone is different from loneliness. If you do not feel a lack of connection while alone, the score will be lower.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I bring these results into a counseling session?
- Use the analysis button at the bottom of the result screen to have a short conversation with Maeumi without signing in. After the conversation, you can continue in the app. The web conversation does not transfer automatically to the app.
- Can I share my results with a friend?
- Yes. Use Share at the top right of the result screen to send a friend the check itself, or share your result as a link or story image. A result link carries your scores inside the address only; it does not include your name or account, and nothing is saved on our side.