What the Surgeon General Missed About America's Loneliness Epidemic

by Ian Marcus Corbin and Joe Waters

Newsweek

May 16, 2023

On May 2, the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, sounded the alarm about an American epidemic which predated COVID-19: the phenomenon of reported loneliness, now affecting half of all Americans. It is a serious problem. Lack of social connection, according to one dramatic formulation, has been found to be as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Murthy has been speaking and writing on this topic for a number of years, going back to his 2017 article in the Harvard Business Review on "Work and the Loneliness Epidemic." This month saw the release of "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," an 82-page advisory from the Office of the Surgeon General containing prescriptions for "the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community."

For those who might prefer the two-minute YouTube summary, Murthy explains that "the keys to connection are simple," suggesting four: answer a phone call from a friend, invite someone over to share a meal, listen and be present during conversation, and seek out opportunities to serve others. "These steps may seem small," the surgeon general acknowledges, "but they are extraordinarily powerful."

The document does not adequately explain, alas, why it is that Americans en masse are not employing simple but extraordinarily powerful tricks like the above. This is a shame. Murthy is an accomplished physician, so he certainly knows that a good diagnosis is a necessary step on the way to any truly effective prescription.