According to a new report, the US is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that can be as harmful to our health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
In a new report, Vivek Murthy, 19th & 21st Surgeon General of the United States says that the US is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that can be as harmful to our health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Murthy also offers practical fixes: public policies and spaces that bring people together, as well as simple things like texting a friend or volunteering.
Just 16% of people in the US said they “felt very attached” to their local community in 2018, according to the report, and about half of adults overall experienced some degree of loneliness — statistics that surely worsened during the pandemic.
While young adults and older adults are particularly vulnerable to loneliness as are those struggling financially or experiencing health challenges, “no one is immune,” says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, who was also the senior editor on Murthy’s report. “Humans are social beings, so we have social needs.”
Decades of evidence has made clear the connection between our need to be connected to others and our physical health. The American Heart Association released a scientific statement last year highlighting years of data linking feelings of loneliness to heart disease and strokes. Another recent study showed that social isolation increased the risk of dementia in older adults.
Conversely, emerging research suggests people with a strong social network can better manage their diabetes, which in turn can prevent complications from the disease. During the pandemic, fewer people died in US counties with strong social ties. And a sense of community is crucial to the long-term mental health of young people, linked to lower instances of attempted suicide and substance abuse, Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, says.
What are the causes?
Murthy’s report outlines many practical steps including policies that encourage connectivity such as paid family leave, or establishing physical spaces such as libraries and parks where people can come together. And more physicians need to recognize social isolation as a health risk — and, in turn, be armed with the tools to monitor for it and help their patients address it.
Finally, we need more research into the root cause of our social isolation. Cell phones and social media are easy targets for blame, but the body of evidence around their harms versus benefits is complex, says Holt-Lunstad. They can’t account for all our discontent.
Source: Bloomberg