In a now-famous American study from 1967, Dr. Thomas H. Holmes and Dr. Richard H. Rahe created a do-it-yourself stress test. They examined the stress—measured the Life Changes (LCU)—that induced by experiences ranging from the death of a spouse to getting a traffic ticket. By adding the LCUs values of the past year, you can predict the likelihood of stress related illness or accident.
Total LCU below 150
35% chance of illness or accident within two years
Total LCU between 150–300
51% of illness or accident
Total LCU over 300
80% chance of illness or accident
Adapted from the "Social Readjustment Rating Scale" by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. This scale was first published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1967, vol. II p. 214.
