The “nation’s doctor” is on a campaign to combat what he calls an epidemic of loneliness and isolation taking its toll on roughly half the people in the United States. His call to action to “mend the social fabric of our nation” deserves broad support, from government, professionals and institutions — and from each of us.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, whose job is to give Americans the best scientific information about improving health and reducing the risk of illness, started warning about the dangers of loneliness before COVID hit. Now, he says, the crisis is more urgent.
Americans are used to surgeon generals using their bully pulpit to lead the fight against such scourges as smoking, drug addiction and obesity. One of Murthy’s goals is to convince us that loneliness is also a serious threat to physical health and can even cause premature death. Research tells us that loneliness can cause or worsen cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression and anxiety. The effect of loneliness on a person can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It can be worse than obesity and lack of exercise.
