VOA健康报道2023 孤独在美国已成"流行病"（在线收听）

America's top spokesperson on public health, the U.S. surgeon general, recently said loneliness is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

美国公共卫生方面的最高发言人、美国卫生局局长最近表示，孤独与一天抽15支香烟一样危险。

Dr. Vivek Murthy said loneliness costs the health industry billions of dollars each year, and he declared it the latest public health epidemic.

维韦克·穆尔蒂博士称，孤独每年给医疗行业造成数十亿美元的损失，他宣布这是最新的公共卫生流行病。

In a report, Murthy said about half of U.S. adults say they have experienced loneliness.

穆尔蒂在一份报告中说，大约一半的美国成年人表示他们经历过孤独。

"We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience.

“我们现在知道，孤独是很多人都会经历的一种普遍感觉。

It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing."

就像饥饿或口渴一样。这是当我们缺少生存所需的东西时，身体给我们的一种感觉。”

Murthy told The Associated Press (AP): "Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right.

穆尔蒂告诉美联社：“数百万美国人在阴影中挣扎，这是不对的。

That's why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing."

这就是我发布这一警告的原因，目的是揭开太多人正在经历的斗争。”

To pull back the curtain means to show how something is or acts that is normally not seen in public.

To pull back the curtain的意思是展示通常不公开的事物的样子或行为。

The declaration is meant to raise understanding about loneliness.

这一声明旨在提高人们对孤独的理解。

However, it is not linked to federal financial support or programs meant to fight the problem.

然而，它与旨在解决这一问题的联邦财政支持或计划无关。

Recent research suggests that American have become less active with organized religion, community organizations and even their own family members.

最近的研究表明，美国人在有组织的宗教、社区组织甚至他们自己的家庭成员中变得不那么活跃了。

Research also shows Americans have reported an increase in feelings of loneliness.

研究还表明，美国人的孤独感有所增加。

In addition to that, the number of households with a single unmarried person has doubled in the last 60 years.

此外，单身未婚家庭的数量在过去60年里翻了一番。

But this problem became more severe with the COVID-19 pandemic.

但随着新冠疫情的蔓延，这个问题变得更加严重。

Schools and workplaces closed and millions of Americans were separated from family and friends.

学校和工作场所关闭，数百万美国人与家人和朋友分离。

The surgeon general's report said individual Americans reduced their friend groups and spent less time with friends who remained.

卫生局局长的报告称，美国人缩减了他们的朋友群，与剩下的朋友待在一起的时间减少了。

Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes a day 20 years earlier.

2020年，美国人每天与朋友面对面交流的时间约为20分钟，低于20年前的每天60分钟。

The loneliness epidemic is especially affecting young people aged 15 to 24.

孤独感尤其影响到15岁至24岁的年轻人。

The age group reported a 70 percent drop in time spent with friends during the same period.

报告称，在同一时期，这个年龄段的人与朋友相处的时间减少了70%。

The report said loneliness increases the risk of an early death by nearly 30 percent.

报告称，孤独会使早逝的风险增加近30%。

And it said people with poor social relationships have a greater risk of stroke and heart disease.

报告还称，社会关系差的人患中风和心脏病的风险更大。

The research found lack of social activity also increases the risk of developing mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and dementia.

研究发现，缺乏社交活动还会增加患抑郁症、焦虑症和痴呆症等心理健康问题的风险。

Murthy did not provide any data that shows how many people die directly from loneliness or lack of social activity.

穆尔蒂没有提供任何数据来说明有多少人直接死于孤独或缺乏社交活动。

The surgeon general is calling on businesses, schools, community organizations, parents, and others to make changes that will increase the country's level of connection.

该卫生局局长呼吁企业、学校、社区组织、家长等做出改变，以提高国家的联系水平。

He advised people to join community groups and put down their phones when they are meeting friends.

他建议人们加入社区团体，在与朋友见面时放下手机。

Murthy also advised employers to consider their policies for working away from their offices.

穆尔蒂还建议雇主考虑让员工在办公室以外的地方工作的政策。

And he called on health systems to provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness.

他还呼吁卫生系统为医生提供培训，让他们认识到孤独带来的健康风险。

Murthy said technology has increased loneliness.

穆尔蒂说，科技增加了孤独感。

One study in the report researched people who used social media for two hours or more a day.

报告中的一项研究调查了每天使用社交媒体两个小时或更长时间的人。

It found that the group was more than twice as likely to report feeling a lack in social connection than those who spent less than 30 minutes a day on social media.

研究发现，这些人感到缺乏社交联系的可能性是那些每天在社交媒体上花不到30分钟的人的两倍多。

Murthy said social media is driving the increase in loneliness.

穆尔蒂说，社交媒体正在推动孤独感的增加。

His report suggests that technology companies formulate protections for children especially around their social media behavior.

他的报告建议科技公司为儿童制定保护措施，尤其是在他们的社交媒体行为方面。

Murthy said there is no replacement for in-person interaction.

穆尔蒂说，面对面的互动是不可替代的。

He added that Americans are using technology more for communication.

他补充说，美国人越来越多地使用科技进行交流。

He wondered: "We lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction.

他想知道：“我们失去了很多面对面的互动机会。

How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken them?"

我们如何设计技术来加强而不是削弱我们的关系？”