Best of: Vivek Murthy on America’s loneliness epidemic

Nov 23, 2020

Vivek Murthy, Former U.S. Surgeon General and co-chair of Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, sheds light on America's loneliness epidemic. He discusses how the pandemic has worsened feelings of isolation, particularly among vulnerable populations. Murthy explains loneliness's biochemical effects on health and shares personal anecdotes that highlight its emotional toll. Through cultural perspectives, he emphasizes the importance of prioritizing human connections over productivity to combat this pervasive issue.

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ANECDOTE

Loneliness as a Feeling

Vivek Murthy frequently felt lonely as a child and even as Surgeon General.
He describes loneliness as a physical knot, a sense of despair, and a downward spiral.

INSIGHT

Loneliness vs. Social Contact

Loneliness is a subjective feeling, not solely determined by the number of connections.
Vivek Murthy felt lonely as Surgeon General despite constant social interaction, due to a lack of deep connection.

ANECDOTE

Loneliness in Patients

Vivek Murthy's experience with a lottery winner-turned-lonely illustrates how life changes can increase isolation.
He also witnessed loneliness in hospitalized patients with no visitors, highlighting its prevalence.

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At the holidays, I wanted to share some of my favorite episodes of the show with you (we’ll be back next week with brand new episodes). My conversation with Vivek Murthy tops that list, and it has particular force this Thanksgiving, when so many are alone on a day when connection means so much.

As US surgeon general from 2014 to 2017, Murthy visited communities across the United States to talk about issues like addiction, obesity, and mental illness. But he found that what Americans wanted to talk to him about the most was loneliness. In a 2018 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 22 percent of all adults in the US — almost 60 million Americans — said they often or always felt lonely or socially isolated.

Murthy went on to write Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, and was recently named one of the co-chairs of Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force. Those projects may sound different, but they connect: Coronavirus has made America’s loneliness crisis far worse. Social distancing, while necessary from a public health standpoint, has caused a collapse in social contact among family, friends, and entire communities. And the people most vulnerable to the virus — the elderly, the disabled, the ill — are also unusually likely to suffer from loneliness.

Murthy’s explanation of how loneliness acts on the body is worth the time, all on its own — it’ll change how you see the relationship between social experience and physical health. But the broader message here is deeper: You are not alone in your loneliness. None of us are. And the best thing we can do for our own feeling of isolation is often to help someone else out of the very pit we’re in.

Book recommendations:

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch

Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri

Credits:

Producer/Audio engineer - Jeff Geld

Researcher - Roge Karma

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