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How I experience loneliness

Thirty statements that separate painful feelings, distancing, temporary solitude, responsibility, lack of understanding, and appearance-related explanations.

Method and research sources

What this questionnaire measures

E. A. Manakova's questionnaire was designed to show not only intensity but the content of loneliness: painful affect, withdrawal, temporary and potentially useful solitude, reluctance to take relational responsibility, lack of support or understanding, and attributing loneliness to appearance.

How scoring works

Every answer scores 1–5 and all items are direct-scored. Items 1/7/13/19/25 form the first dimension, items 2/8/14/20/26 the second, and so on in six-item cycles. Each dimension totals 5–25; the overall sum is 30–150.

Method and sources

The original open paper includes the full questionnaire, scoring key, factor analysis, and validity results. Two research chapters place loneliness in attachment and cognition frameworks.

  1. Original publication2018
  2. Scientific review
    An Attachment Perspective on Loneliness

    Mario Mikulincer, Phillip R. Shaver

    2014
  3. Scientific review
    Perceived social isolation and cognition

    John T. Cacioppo, Louise C. Hawkley

    2009

Keep exploring the topic

Related pages are linked by social connection, attachment, and emotional wellbeing—not by diagnosis.

Useful reading

Lonely around other people: when a therapy group may help

Learn how loneliness differs from social isolation, why it can persist in company, and how to decide whether group therapy is a suitable next step.

Entrepreneurial loneliness and burnout: finding support

Why business contacts may not ease loneliness, how to rethink constant availability, and where to separate psychological, management and medical needs.

Related tests

UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3)

Use the 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale to reflect on perceived social connection and isolation without diagnostic labels.

Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R)

Explore attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in romantic relationships with the 36-item Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised.

Find a psychologist for loneliness or relationship difficultiesRelated groupsRelated events

Questions about the loneliness profile

Is spending time alone always a problem?

No. Chosen solitude can be restorative or meaningful. The profile separates some constructive experiences from painful or unwanted loneliness.

Does the appearance score say how attractive I am?

No. It measures how strongly you explain loneliness through appearance, not how other people actually see you.

Can I compare the six numbers directly?

Yes, because each dimension contains five items scored 1–5. Still, use differences as prompts for reflection, not fixed personality labels.