Top US Government Doctor Declares Loneliness a Big Health Problem

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

Dr. Vivek Murthy said loneliness costs the health industry billions of dollars each year, and he declared it the latest public health epidemic¹.

In a report, Murthy said about half of U.S. adults say they have experienced² loneliness.

"We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival³ is missing,"

Murthy told The Associated Press (AP): "Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advisory⁴ to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing."

To pull back the curtain means to show how something is or acts that is normally⁵ not seen in public.

The declaration⁶ is meant to raise understanding about loneliness. However, it is not linked to federal⁷ financial support or programs meant to fight the problem.

Recent research suggests that American have become less active with organized religion, community organizations and even their own family members. Research also shows Americans have reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. In addition to that, the number of households with a single unmarried person has doubled in the last 60 years.

But this problem became more severe with the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and workplaces closed and millions of Americans were separated from family and friends.

The surgeon general's report said individual Americans reduced their friend groups and spent less time with friends who remained. Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes a day 20 years earlier.

The loneliness epidemic is especially affecting young people aged⁸ 15 to 24. The age group reported a 70 percent drop in time spent with friends during the same period.

The report said loneliness increases the risk of an early death by nearly 30 percent. And it said people with poor social relationships have a greater risk of stroke⁹ and heart disease¹⁰. The research found lack of social activity also increases the risk of developing mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and dementia.

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

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.

He advised people to join community groups and put down their phones when they are meeting friends. Murthy also advised employers¹¹ to consider their policies for working away from their offices. And he called on health systems to provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness.

Murthy said technology has increased loneliness. One study in the report researched people who used social media for two hours or more a day. 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.

Murthy said social media is driving the increase in loneliness. His report suggests that technology companies formulate¹² protections for children especially around their social media behavior.

Murthy said there is no replacement¹³ for in-person interaction¹⁴. He added that Americans are using technology more for communication. He wondered: "We lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken¹⁵ them?"

Words in This Story

epidemic – n. an occurrence¹⁶ in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people

thirst – n. an uncomfortable feeling that is caused by the need for something to drink

shadow – n. an area of darkness created when a source of light is blocked

single –adj. not married

stroke – n. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel¹⁷ in your brain suddenly breaks or is blocked

interaction – v. to talk or do things with other people

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

3 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

4 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

5 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

6 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

7 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

8 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

9 stroke   

n.笔画，击打，连续的动作，中风，心跳；vt.奉承，轻抚； vi.击打，心跳...

参考例句：

• He drove in a nail with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把钉子敲进去了。
• He broke the lock with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把锁砸坏了。

10 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

11 employers   

雇主( employer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
• The onus is on employers to follow health and safety laws. 雇主有义务遵行健康安全法。

12 formulate   

v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述

参考例句：

• He took care to formulate his reply very clearly.他字斟句酌，清楚地做了回答。
• I was impressed by the way he could formulate his ideas.他陈述观点的方式让我印象深刻。

13 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

14 interaction   

n.交流；相互作用，相互影响，合作

参考例句：

• The interaction of the two groups produced many good ideas.两个组的相互交流产生了许多好主意。
• Price is determined through the interaction of demand and supply.价格在供需的相互作用中形成。

15 weaken   

v.(使)变弱，(使)虚弱

参考例句：

• You can weaken the tea by adding water.你可以加水把茶弄得淡一些。
• We never weaken our efforts in face of difficulties.我们在困难面前从不软化我们的努力。

16 occurrence   

n.发生，出现，事件，发生的事件

参考例句：

• Two things account for its occurrence.发生这件事的原因有两个。
• For a military commander，winning or losing a battle is a common occurrence.胜败乃兵家常事。

17 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。