(Stephanie Cornwell/ Real Simple) — Americans have reached epidemic levels of loneliness and social isolation. According to the U.S. surgeon general’s recent advisory report, about half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely. And it’s more than a bummer or an unpleasant feeling—this loneliness is causing our physical and mental health to suffer.
Loneliness and social isolation are as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, the report states, and a lonely or isolated person is at a greater risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, dementia, and premature death.
In his staggering 81-page report, Vivek Murthy, MD, the surgeon general, explains how loneliness (a subjective distressing experience that results in perceived isolation) and social isolation (objectively having few social relationships, roles, or interactions) are more widespread than smoking, diabetes, and obesity, and are just as dangerous to overall health and longevity.
Unfortunately, most people affected by loneliness or isolation don’t realize it’s this big of a threat to their health and longevity—but it is. (…)