US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on youth mental health, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 8, 2022.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been sounding the alarm on the loneliness epidemic for more than a year.
In his 2023 report "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," Murthy wrote that loneliness is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. Young people, specifically, are reporting especially high rates of loneliness.
"Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation, 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," he wrote.
So, what's the solution? On a recent episode of The Oprah Podcast, Murthy said many people are getting it wrong.
"There are forces around us that are telling us that the way to fill the emptiness that many of us feel is to focus more and more on ourselves, right?" he told Oprah. "To acquire more, to achieve more."
But Murthy believes decreasing feelings of loneliness actually depends on three factors, none of which have to do with ourselves:
- Relationships
- Service
- Community
"When we focus on connecting to something bigger than ourselves, that's actually when we find joy," he told Oprah. "It's why service is one of the most powerful antidotes to loneliness."
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'We've moved from having confidants to contacts'
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Many reports have noted the stark difference between older and younger Americans when it comes to loneliness. A whopping 79% of adults between ages 18 and 24 reported feeling lonely, according to a 2021 report from The Cigna Group. Only 41% of those 66 and older said the same.
One explanation for this disparity is social media use, Murthy says.
"Whether we're lonely or not has to to do with the quality of connections in our life, not the quantity," Murthy said.
Apps like Instagram and TikTok have allowed young adults to be in contact with more people than previous generations, but they don't necessarily foster deep connection.
"We've moved from having confidants to contacts, from having friends, to having followers, a shift from quality of friends to quantity," Murthy said. "And the truth is that there are certain things you can just say to people online that you would never say to them in person, right?"
'Building community is one of the most important things we can do'
To decrease loneliness, Murthy suggests having deeper conversations. Even if this means you have time for less people, you'll feel more heard.
Offering to help your friends can also reduce feelings of isolation. This could look like dropping dinner off if you know they've had a busy day or coming over and offering to help during their kids' bedtime if they seem overwhelmed.
The same goes for funneling your skills into more altruistic activities. If you're good at writing resumes, maybe you could volunteer at a career fair.
"Building community is one of the most important things we can do for our health and wellbeing," he told Oprah.
Connecting to something outside of you, whether it's rekindling an old friendship, investing in a new community, or using your talents to focus on solving a bigger problem, has a positive effect on your mental and physical health.
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