Surgeon general warns Seattle audience about the dangers of loneliness and isolation

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was in Seattle Wednesday, where he told an audience that loneliness is one of the crucial public health issues of the day.

Since the pandemic, he said, many people’s habits have shifted away from in-person interaction — even things like going to the grocery store. And, he added, people need a variety of relationships to feel connected — everything from friendly acquaintances to close friends and family.

“You might think, if your loved one is struggling with loneliness, that … it’s an indictment of your marriage,” he said. “But that’s not at all the case. There are plenty of people who are in very fulfilling marriages or fulfilling long-term relationships who might be struggling with loneliness if they don’t have friendships and a sense of community.”

Murthy said loneliness contributes to anxiety and depression, substance use disorders, and also physical health problems like heart disease.

For kids, he said, too much time on social media is part of the problem.

“Healthy activities are being edged out of their life — sleep, learning, in-person time, physical activity,” he said. “And we have essentially no effective guardrails in place right now to protect our kids.”

Murthy said we need better policy solutions to keep kids safe online.

He also recommended having kids wait till after middle school to be on social media.

For adults, he said, remembering to put down our phones and be fully present with our loved ones can serve as an antidote to loneliness.

“If you make a five-minute call to somebody … but you’re fully present during those five minutes… it will feel longer,” he said. “We have to be intentional about that because we have these devices in our pockets that are constantly grabbing at our attention and that has a real impact on our ability to connect with the people around us.”