The ‘Loneliness Epidemic’ We All Saw Coming

Many of those who encouraged social isolation now seek to distance themselves from its deleterious consequences.

For too much of this young decade, social isolation was presented as a virtue — an “ethical duty” even. This week, the horrible consequences of what should have been an option of last resort are being met with some urgency by the very public-health establishment that implored you to keep to yourself.

An 81-page report released this week by Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned of a crisis of loneliness afflicting the American public. His office maintains that, beyond the psychological drawbacks associated with loneliness, solitude contributes to negative health outcomes, too. “Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually,” the Associated Press reported.

“It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told AP reporters of the symptoms associated with acute socialization deficiency. Murthy could not produce data that advance the claim that loneliness contributes to premature death, but his office maintains that this condition increases an individual’s likelihood of succumbing to stroke and heart disease, and it augments the risk of depression, anxiety, and dementia. The surgeon general’s report calls on elected officials to make the “same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity, and the addiction crisis.”