amna: The U.S. Surgeon general
warns of the health risks
associated with loneliness.
A new report from his office
finds that loneliness attracts a
decline in social connection and
leads to billions of dollars in
health care connections.
The U.S. Surgeon general joins
me now.
Your -- your declaration clearly
link loneliness to matters of
life or death.
One number found social
isolation increases the risk of
premature mortality by nearly
30%.
How and why do you focus on
this?
>> I have had first-hand
experience with loneliness and
my own life and with my patients
were I feel so many come into
the hospital for one condition
or another but loneliness lurks
in the background.
When I became surgeon general I
realized loneliness was common.
One in two adults report
measurable levels of loneliness
and most -- and young people are
more affected.
That is because we have realized
loneliness is not just a bad
feeling, it has real
consequences for mental and
physical health and increases
our risk of depression, anxiety,
and suicide but social
disconnection also raises the
risk of heart disease and
dementia and premature death on
levels on par with daily smoking
.
So however you look at it,
lonely and isolation are public
health concerns and we have to
prioritize.
Amna: Things were already
trending this way.
It was accelerating during the
pandemic.
You said before -- between 2003
and 2020, social engagements
with friends decreased from an
hour a day to 20 minutes a day.
Before covid, what was driving
the trend?
>> A number of factors.
Covid just poured fuel on a fire
that was already burning and
exacerbated things but this has
been building for decades.
We have seen a decrease in
participation in community
organizations and faith
organizations and recreationally
in the last several decades and
technology has changed how we
interact with each other and
communicate and has often
replaced what used to be great
in person connections with
online connections that are
often lower quality.
We see people are experiencing
tremendous change in their
lives.
They are moving more and
changing jobs more often and
that can disrupt social
relationships.
It's not that these trends are
necessarily bad but what we have
to do in modern life is
intentionally built in the
interest of -- infrastructure we
need.
Amna: Coming out of the pandemic
I think a lot of people made
choices that they thought were
good, whittling down the number
of friends, working from home,
having flexibility.
It seems like you are saying
there could be a long-term
negative side.
>> The choices you make with
friends are critical.
It's not just about having
healthy relationships.
Some people found themselves
paring back on all social
interactions and that can be
harmful so quality matters and
one worry I have is I think
there are too many young people
who the experience of social
media has highlighted quantity
over quality and that is not the
recipe.
As big as the problem can seem
and as much as there is to do,
we just laid out a national
strategy, the key to remember is
there are individual steps we
can take in our lives that can
make a difference.
Spend 15 minutes a day with
people you care about.
Be fully present when
interacting with others.
Look for ways to help with
neighbors and coworkers.
Small steps can make a big
difference in how connected we
feel.
Amna: You've talked about your
concern of young people using
social media.
When you look at these state
bands like Utah being the first
to say anyone under 18 is banned
from social media unless they
have parental permission.
Is that a good idea?
>> I think it's important to
have these conversations and
explore solutions about how to
make social media safer for
kids.
More than one decade has passed
where kids have been using
social media and we have not had
adequate safety standards to
ensure our children are not
exposed to harmful content and
the use is not so excessive that
it robs them of sleep and time
in person with others and that
is happening right now.
It is eroding their self esteem
because they are constantly
comparing themselves to others.
So we need to have these
conversations about how to make
social media safer and while
there are different strategies
being explored I think the
conversation is important and
welcomed by so many parents.
We are looking at what is
happening in saying this is too
hard for a parent to manage on
their own and we need to do
something as a society to make
these platforms safer.
Amna: There are recommendations
for individuals and schools but
there are no calls for federal
action.
Is there a government program or
action to address this?
>> Yes.
We lay out steps policymakers
could take to address the crisis
including funding more research
so we understand who is most at
risk and what solutions work and
extending support to community
organizations that can often
create connections in towns and
cities.
They also include taking an
approach where we recognize
sometimes policies like
transportation and housing
impact our interactions with
others.
The ability to meet up and see
people.
Understanding the consequences
in the policymaking process is
important.
We have to look at financial
costs but also social cost.
Social connection is vital for
individual health and community
health.
Connected communities have lower
levels of violence and higher
economic prosperity and are more
resilient in the face of
adversity and more protected
against polarization.
And these are challenges we
struggle with today.
Amna: Dr., thank you.
Good to talk with you.