Widespread loneliness in the United States poses a health risk as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, costing the health care industry billions of dollars a year, America's top public health official said this Sunday.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, in declaring a new public health epidemic, noted in a report on page 81 that half of adults in the United States said they have experienced loneliness.
"We know that loneliness is a common feeling experienced by many people. It is like hunger or thirst. It's the feeling that the body sends us when we lack something that is necessary for our survival," Murti said in an interview with the Associated Press agency. "Millions of people in America are toiling in the shadows, and that's not right. That is why I published this report to remove the veil from the struggle that is being waged by a large number of people”.
Research has shown that Americans, who have been less engaged in places of worship, community organizations and even with their family members in recent decades, report an increase in feelings of loneliness. The number of single-member households has doubled over the past 60 years. However, the crisis has deepened during the Covid-XNUMX outbreak, which has caused schools and businesses to close their doors and send millions of Americans into isolation at home away from relatives and friends.
During the coronavirus pandemic, people were cut off from friendship groups and reduced the time they spend with friends, according to the report. Americans spent 2020 minutes with friends in 20, down from 60 minutes two decades ago.
The epidemic of loneliness hits young people, between the ages of 15 and 24, particularly hard, AP points out. That age group reported a 70 percent drop in time spent with friends.
Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by almost 30 percent, and the report states that people with poor social relationships are also at greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Isolation also increases the likelihood of depression, anxiety and dementia, the study found.
Murthy did not provide data illustrating how many people die directly as a result of loneliness or isolation, the AP points out. He called on employers, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents and others to make changes that will boost connectivity in the country. He advises people to join community groups and leave their phones behind when they're with friends; employers to carefully consider work-from-home policies; and health systems to provide training to doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness.
Technology has accelerated the problem of loneliness, and one study Murti cites in the report found that people who use social media for two hours or more a day are twice as likely to feel socially isolated as those who use such apps for less than 30 minutes a day .
Murti said that social media especially encourages loneliness. Its report states that technology companies are introducing protections for children, especially in relation to their behavior on social networks. "There really is no substitute for personal interaction," Murti said. "While we increasingly use technology in our communication, we have largely lost direct personal interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships instead of one that weakens them?, Murty asked in the report.
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