USU — Universal Suffering Units
A calibrated, additive unit for experienced suffering — applicable across categories, countries, and (eventually) species.
What USU measures
USU captures the experienced burden of suffering. It increases with intensity, duration, and the number of people affected. USUs are additive across people and time.
Reporting: We publish medians with 90% uncertainty intervals and avoid double counting overlapping harms using a documented overlap rule with diminishing returns.
USU + LPY
We pair USU with LPY (Lost Potential Years). USU shows the felt experience; LPY shows the flourishing time erased by suffering—years not lived or lived far below potential.
Anchor ladder (intuition)
- 0.001 USU → needle prick (blood draw)
- 0.01 USU → stubbed toe / paper cut
- 0.1 USU → second‑degree fingertip burn (hours)
- 1.0 USU → renal colic (kidney‑stone) episode (or unmedicated active labor)
Anchor curves are versioned and reproducible; see files.
Methods & Files (open)
- USU_anchor_segments_v1.1.csv
- USU_anchor_implied_values_v1.1.csv
- USU_anchor_calibration_summary_v1.1.txt
- USU_input_template_v1.csv
License: Paper CC‑BY 4.0 · Data/Templates CC‑BY 4.0 (or MIT for code). Please cite the preprint DOI.
Changelog (high‑level)
- 2025-10-02 — Anchors v1.1 calibrated; 1.0 USU set to renal colic (kidney‑stone) episode. Published files: segments v1.1, implied values v1.1, calibration summary, input template v1.
Future entries will note weighting changes (e.g., linear vs convex), overlap‑rule tweaks, and mapping updates.
FAQ
Why the kidney‑stone anchor?
Renal colic is widely reported as one of the most severe common pains and has a consistent, wave‑like time profile. Anchoring 1.0 USU to a kidney‑stone episode makes the scale intuitive and reproducible.
USU vs LPY?
USU measures the volume of experienced suffering (intensity × time × people). LPY measures the flourishing time erased by suffering. We publish both to show experience and time loss.
Can I use USU in my work?
Yes. The unit and files are open. Please cite the preprint DOI and specify any mapping/weighting choices you make. We welcome feedback and external replication.
Contact
Research: research@sufferingunits.org
General: contact@sufferingunits.org
WSI/Press: press@worldsufferingindex.org
© Universal Suffering Units · USU Core v1.0 · Anchors v1.1