“What defines loneliness,” Murthy tells us, “is our internal comfort level.” For many, the enemy is within.If I told you that I read a book about loneliness and really enjoyed it, you might think I was insane. It’s different from solitude, which is a state of peaceful aloneness (like reading a book). It's also subjective: It's the feeling that you’re lacking the social connections you need. As he dug deeper into the subject and consulted with experts, he discovered that loneliness was both widespread and vastly misunderstood. To Murthy's surprise, emotional isolation would receive the strongest response of any issue he worked on as surgeon general. “While loneliness has the potential to kill,” the author explains, “connection has even more potential to heal.” But bridging the gap isn't always easy. (This is especially true of people who are unable to use technology to connect.) Studies suggest that this involuntary confinement will have lasting effects: Adults with strong social connections are 50% less likely to die prematurely.
Under the current coronavirus lockdown, many go days or even weeks without seeing another person. More: Chelsea Handler 'gets lit' in coronavirus quarantine with NSFW book recommendationsĪs a society, we have never been so isolated. Murthy wrote his book to help us understand why. A recent report indicates that 22% of adults in the U.S. As a practicing physician, I know what it’s like to be surrounded by people yet feel totally and utterly alone. “This shame,” he writes, “was particularly acute in professional cultures, like law and medicine, that promote independent strength as a virtue.” Murthy begins his story by detailing his travels across the U.S., where as surgeon general he encountered a disturbing theme: “There was something about our disconnection from one another that was making people’s lives worse than they had to be.” The stories weren’t always easy to unearth many people were embarrassed by how they felt. More: Madeleine Albright addresses 'afterlife' beyond secretary of state in third memoir As the “nation’s doctor,” Murthy expected to use his platform to address broad issues like the opioid epidemic, obesity, mental health and vaccine-preventable diseases.īut during a nationwide listening tour, he kept hearing about a different scourge: loneliness. The powerful and potentially devastating desire to feel a part of something has become the focus of his fascinating new book, "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World" (Harper Wave, 352 pp., ★★★ out of four).
When Vivek Murthy was sworn in as the 19th surgeon general of the United States, he had certain expectations.
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