The Stress Scale: Everyone Has A Need For Massage

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), more commonly known as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, was created as a tool to helps us measure the stress load we carry, and think about what we should do about it.

In 1967, psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe decided to study whether or not stress contributes to illness. They surveyed more than 5,000 medical patients and asked them to say whether they had experience any of a series of 43 life events in the previous two years. Each event, called a Life Change Unit (LCU), had a different "weight" for stress. The more events the patient added up, the higher the score. The higher the score, and the larger the weight of each event, the more likely the patient was to become ill.

The Stress Scale (Click More to See the Scale!)



1. Death of Spouse = 100

2. Divorce = 73

3. Marital Separation = 65

4. Jail term = 63

5. Death of Close Family Member = 63

6. Personal Injury or Illness = 53

7. Marriage = 50

8. Fired at Work = 47

9. Marital Reconciliation = 45

10. Retirement = 45

11. Change in Health of Family Member = 44

12. Pregnancy = 40

13. Sex Difficulties = 39

14. Gain of New Family Member = 39

15. Business Readjustment = 39

16. Change in Financial State = 38

17. Death of Close Friend = 37

18. Change to a Different Line of Work = 36

19. Change in Number of Arguments with Spouse = 35

20. A Large Mortgage or Loan = 31

21. Foreclosure of Mortgage or Loan = 30

22. Change in Responsibilities at Work = 29

23. Son or Daughter Leaving Home = 29

24. Trouble with In-Laws = 29

25. Outstanding Personal Achievement = 28

26. Spouse Begins or Stops Work = 26

27. Begin or End School/College = 26

28. Change in Living Conditions = 25

29. Revision of Personal Habits = 24

30. Trouble with Boss = 23

31. Change in Work Hours or Conditions = 20

32. Change in Residence = 20

33. Change in School/College = 20

34. Change in Recreation = 19

35. Change in Religious Activities = 19

36. Change in Social Activities = 18

37. A moderate Loan or Mortgage = 17

38. Change in Sleeping Habits = 16

39. Change in Number of Family Get-Togethers = 15

40. Change in Eating Habits = 15

41. Vacation = 13

42. Holidays = 12

43. Minor violations of the law = 11