The US. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, in 81-page report revealed that loneliness is as risky to one’s health as smoking.
Murthy during a press briefing said, “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing, Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”
Studies reveal that Americans have consistently reported feeling more alone in recent years, despite their decreased involvement with churches, neighborhood associations, and even their own families. Over the past 60 years, the number of single households has also increased.
The surgeon general’s research reveals that during the coronavirus pandemic, people cut down on their social circles and spent less time with them. In 2020, Americans only spent 20 minutes a day in person with friends, compared to 60 minutes a day almost 20 years earlier.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are particularly hard-hit by the loneliness epidemic. During the same time span, the age group reported a 70% decrease in time spent with friends.
The paper cites a study that found individuals who used social media for two hours or more a day were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated as those who used such applications for less than thirty minutes a day. This study highlights how quickly technology has aggravated the loneliness problem.
In order to improve the human’s interconnection, the surgeon general is urging businesses, educational institutions, parents, community organizations, digital corporations, and other institutions to implement reforms. In addition to advising individuals to join community groups and put down their phones when spending time with friends, he also suggests that companies carefully consider their policies regarding remote work and that health systems train medical professionals to identify the negative health effects of loneliness.
Murthy said, “There’s really no substitute for in-person interaction, As we shifted to use technology more and more for our communication, we lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken them?”
