MINNEAPOLIS — "Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling," said U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy in a video circulating online.
Murthy introduced the first advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
"In-person matters," he said. "Connecting online has its place, has its value. But it's not a substitute for in-person connection, we really do need to do both."
With the rise of technology and social media, there are concerns about the impact of social isolation.
"There have been concerns even pre-COVID, with the lack or decrease of social connection, because of technology in our lives," said Dr. Sarah Paper, a board-certified psychologist at Allina Health.
According to the report, Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes daily nearly two decades earlier.
The loneliness epidemic is hitting young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard.
"Loneliness is more of a feeling of being alone and not connecting, even if you are in a room full of people and that could be for people who lost social skills during the pandemic or didn't have a chance to develop them," said Dr. Paper.
She says loneliness can cause severe health risks, including increased risk of stroke and heart disease.
"It increases our risk of deaths, mental illness, dementia," she said.
One in two American adults of all ages and backgrounds report experiencing loneliness.
Experts are now calling for more pro-connection policies to increase education on the benefits of social connection.
"It's important we prioritize this, and those of us in mental health, we also ask our patients on increasing that now that we have a better understanding of how important it is," said Dr. Paper.
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