Holmes-Rahe Scale (Social Readjustment Rating Scale): Measuring Life Change in Numbers

The Holmes-Rahe Scale (Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale, SRRS) is a stress measurement tool developed in 1967 by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. Its core idea is simple: change itself requires adaptive energy.

How It Works

Each of 43 life events is assigned a Life Change Unit (LCU) score. Add up the scores for all events experienced during the past 12 months.

Event	LCU
Death of a spouse	100
Divorce	73
Marriage	50
Dismissal from work	47
Pregnancy	40
Change in residence	20
Vacation	13

What is notable: positive events such as marriage (50 points), outstanding personal achievement (28 points), and vacation (13 points) are also included. Good changes still require adjustment.

Score Interpretation

• Below 150 points — low stress load
• 150-299 points — the range where the original study found a significantly higher risk of health problems
• 300 points or higher — a range associated with an even greater increase in risk

These are probabilistic tendencies, not predictions, and they can vary greatly depending on a person’s coping resources and support environment.

Limitations

Because it was based on a 1960s U.S. sample, the scale has cultural and historical limitations. It has also been criticized for not reflecting the subjective meaning of each event. Even so, it is still widely referenced as a prototype of the idea that stress can be quantified.

Source: Holmes TH, Rahe RH. “The Social Readjustment Rating Scale.” J Psychosom Res. 1967;11(2):213-218.

Try measuring it yourself: Holmes-Rahe Stress Test