Surgeon General Declares Public Health Epidemic Over Loneliness
Summary from the AllSides News Team
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared a public health epidemic over loneliness on Tuesday.
Key Quotes: “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience,” Murthy told the Associated Press. “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.” Murphy pointed to technology and the COVID-19 pandemic as exacerbating factors of widespread loneliness, stating, “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?”
Details: The report on the surgeon general webpage states that increased social connectivity can decrease the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and diabetes. According to the report, the loneliness epidemic is especially impacting the 15-24 age group.
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum covered the report and declaration, with left-rated sources covering it most frequently. The Washington Examiner cited a national decline in religion and church membership as a contributing factor to social isolation and loneliness, and the Associated Press referenced Americans becoming “less engaged with worship houses,” while BBC News did not include a note on religious decline contributing to loneliness.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Loneliness as deadly as smoking: Surgeon general
Loneliness presents health dangers as deadly as chronic smoking, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned Tuesday.
Calling it an " epidemic of loneliness and isolation ," Murthy's office released a health advisory about the human need for social connection and community.
Social connection is an instinctual requirement for humans, Murthy told the Associated Press, noting, "It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing."
The report notes recent surveys showing about half of American adults experience loneliness, a trend...
From the Center
Loneliness as dangerous as smoking, says US surgeon general
A top US health official has warned the country is facing an epidemic of loneliness that is as dangerous to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, has released an advisory calling for social isolation to be treated as seriously as obesity or drug abuse.
It warns that almost half of all Americans from all walks of life are thought to have been affected.
Mr Murthy has also unveiled a national framework to rebuild social connection.
Loneliness is reported to increase the risk of premature...
From the Left
Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking, surgeon general warns
Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic.
About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in a report from his office.
“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,” Murthy...
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