The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory declaring loneliness and isolation a national epidemic.
In recent years, approximately one in two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue with many people cut off from friends, loved ones and support systems.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said during a cross-country listening tour, people told him they felt isolated, invisible and insignificant.
“Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death,” Murthy wrote.
The mortality impact of being socially disconnected, he said, is similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
Lack of physical activity and a decrease in spending time outside are two reasons one expert said Americans are lonely.
Virginia Tech health and wellness expert Samantha Harden shares ways to improve overall health including mental health.
“Happiness is a fleeting emotion, contingent upon many external factors working in concert,” said Harden. “Life is full of change, which impacts overall health and well-being, called flourishing.”
Harden points to the six domains of flourishing which include:
- Happiness and life satisfaction
- Mental and physical health
- Meaning and purpose
- Character and virtue
- Close social relationships
- Financial and material stability
She suggests making a routine of positive activities to benefit overall well-being.
“Engage in movement that brings you joy, go outside, put a time limit on screen time and stay connected with loved ones by voice or face,” said Harden. “Just like small movements throughout the day add up to meet your physical activity goals, small gestures of genuine connection can be a cure—as simple as the 5-minute phone call with a loved one.”
Murthy believes the key to combatting loneliness is for people to strengthen connections and relationships.
“This Surgeon General’s Advisory shows us how to build more connected lives and a more connected society,” he wrote. “If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners — angry, sick and alone.”
“Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being,” Murthy wrote. “But we have the power to respond. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can rise to meet this moment together.
“We can build lives and communities that are healthier and happier,” he said.
Surgeon General’s recommendations to combat loneliness
- Answer that phone call from a friend
- Make time to share a meal
- Listen without the distraction of your phone
- Perform an act of service
- Express yourself authentically
View the full advisory online.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
For local mental health resources, visit AFP’s Project Mental Health page.
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Crystal Graham
