Originally published: . Volume 14, No. 7. Source pages: 3.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has published "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community," an advisory on the growing epidemic of loneliness.
A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed.
Murthy, writes, "Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished."
The report includes key data, such as:
• Between 2003 and 2020, the time the average American spent with friends decreased by two-thirds, time spent in social engagements dropped by one- third, and time spent in isolation rose by 17%.
• During 2020, 21% of people reported “severe loneliness” compared to just 6% prior to the pandemic.
• The rate of loneliness among young adults has increased every year between 1976 and 2019.
• Polls conducted in 1972 showed that roughly 45% of Americans felt they could reliably trust other Americans; however, that proportion shrank to roughly 30% in 2016.
• In 1960, single-person households accounted for only 13% of all U.S. households. In 2022, that number more than doubled, to 29% of all households.
• In 2018, only 16% of Americans reported that they felt very attached to their local community.
"Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation," Murthy says, "we have an opportunity, and an obligation, to make the same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity, and the addiction crisis. This Surgeon General’s Advisory shows us how to build more connected lives and a more connected society."
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