Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Says Loneliness Is a 'Deep Pain' Exacerbated by Social Media
“We had confidantes, and now we talk about contacts that we have online,” Murthy said. "But how many people are there to show up for you when there's a crisis?"
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Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks in New York City in October 2024.Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says loneliness can cause deep pain — and is a major health issue.
Loneliness, Murthy, 47, said, is “consequential for our health, increasing our risk of heart disease, dementia, premature death, but also our risk of anxiety, depression, and suicides” during an appearance on the Jan. 21 episode of Rainn Wilson’s podcast, Soul Boom.
Wilson asked the former Surgeon General about “diseases of despair” — specifically, how some professionals will “connect loneliness, depression, anxiety with opioid use.”
“Loneliness is a source of deep pain in people's lives,” Murthy explained. “We are made to connect with one another, to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. And when we lose that, we do feel, like, a deep sense of pain.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Youtube
Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks with Rainn Wilson during a podcast.Related: Dr. Ruth Shares a Final Lesson After Her Death: How to Live Without Loneliness (Exclusive)
When we feel deep loneliness, he said “we can lash out at other people. We can … try to numb the pain with alcohol or with drugs. We can turn to violence, as well.”
“It's not to say that people who turn to those harmful pathways are bad people,” he explained. “We we are all susceptible to this.”
Murthy talked about the perils of social media — which he’s previously said harms mental health — explaining it’s “shifting the focus from quality to quantity.”
“We had friends, and now instead we talk about followers,” Murthy said. “We had confidantes, and now we talk about contacts that we have online. What matters at the end of the day is not how many friends you have, but how many people are there to show up for you when there's a crisis. How many people really know you for who you are and can give you some honest real talk when you're going down the wrong path? How many people can you be yourself around? That's really what matters.”
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Stock image of a woman sitting alone.Related: 1 in 5 U.S. Adults Say They Feel Loneliness on a Daily Basis: Report
“We're being pulled toward a triad of success marked by fame, wealth, and power,” he said, “and away from the true triad of fulfillment, which is grounded in relationships, purpose, and service.”
As he explained in his farewell letter shared with PEOPLE, "Relationships keep us grounded and bonded to each other. Service, from formal volunteering to informal small acts of kindness, is about helping each other. And purpose gives our life a sense of direction and meaning. Together, these elements form the triad of fulfillment."
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