WASHINGTON, DC – May 2, 2023 – On May 2nd, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory report that said that about one-half of adults in the U.S. have experienced loneliness. The coronavirus pandemic made it worse by separating people from friends, relatives, organizations, classmates and associates at work. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were the most affected age group. Research indicates that loneliness is linked to many medical problems, including early mortality, sleep problems, stroke, heart disease, and mental illness. Dr. Murthy feels that loneliness is as serious a public health problem as smoking and obesity. Loneliness contributes to about a billion-dollar health care cost. The report is part of President Biden’s plan to address the mental health problem in America.
Social connectivity is fundamental to health and well-being. It includes having relationships with others and being involved in the community. Belonging to an organization, group, family or community builds a sense of social connectivity. Relationships suffered from a shift in communication from person-to-person interaction to communication via technology-related devices.
Between 2003 to 2020, Americans spent less time with family and friends and more time alone, according to a published study from the University of Rochester’s Department of Psychiatry. The authors felt that the pandemic increased social isolation while decreasing social engagement. The closing of schools and the workplace during the pandemic kept many people at home and away from family and friends. The average person in the study spent about 60 minutes a day with friends in 2003. This was reduced to 20 minutes a day in 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic. They found that the 15-24-year-old age group spent 70% less time with friends.
Dr. Murthy’s call to action is for Americans to be more social in order to combat loneliness. Increased connectivity can be achieved by joining organizations and groups. He recommends that people spend less time on the phone and social media and encourages time spent at the office. He suggests that social media companies develop methods to keep children’s time on social media at acceptable levels.
He has described a 6-point plan to build social connectivity and reduce loneliness:
- Develop community social infrastructure and access, like organizations to join, transportation, and public spaces for people to congregate
- Create public policies that promote equitable social connection
- Sensitize public health & health care systems to this growing epidemic
- Reform digital communication systems
- Repeat evaluations of loneliness and the effect of interventions
- Create a culture of connectivity
The report was written to raise awareness about this overlooked but very significant health problem. Dr. Murthy says that loneliness is a feeling like hunger and thirst. People have always relied on each other for survival. If a person feels the ‘loneliness’ signal, then he/she engages in social activity. However, if the signal persists without anything being done to take care of the need for social connection, then health problems can arise. “There is really no substitution for interpersonal interaction,” says the Surgeon General.
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org