Former US Surgeon General dr. Vivek Murthy says loneliness can cause deep pain – and is a major health problem.
Loneliness, Murthy, 47, said, “is detrimental to our health, increasing the risk of heart disease, dementia, premature death, but also the risk of anxiety, depression and suicide” during an appearance on the Jan. 21 episode of Rainn, Wilson’s podcast. Boom of the soul.
Wilson asked the former surgeon general about the “diseases of despair” — specifically, how some experts will “associate loneliness, depression, anxiety with opioid use.”
“Loneliness is a source of deep pain in human lives,” explained Murthy. “We were created to connect with each other, to be part of something bigger than ourselves. And when we lose that, we feel, like, a deep sense of pain.”
dr. Vivek Murthy talks to Rainn Wilson during the podcast.
US Department of Health and Social Services/Youtube
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When we feel deeply lonely, he said, “we can take it out on other people. We can… try to numb the pain with alcohol or drugs. We can also turn to violence.”
“It doesn’t mean that people who turn to those harmful paths are bad people,” he explained. “We are all subject to this.”
Murthy spoke about the dangers of social media – which he previously said was damaging to mental health – explaining that it “shifts the focus from quality to quantity”.
“We used to have friends and now we’re talking about followers instead,” Murthy said. “We had trusted people, and now we are talking about the contacts we have on the Internet. What matters at the end of the day is not how many friends you have, but how many people are there to support you in times of crisis. How many people really know you for who you are and can give you an honest and real conversation when you’re going down the wrong path? How many people can you be yourself with? That’s really important.”
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Picture of a woman sitting alone.
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“We are drawn toward the triad of success marked by fame, fortune, and power,” he said, “and away from the true triad of fulfillment, which is based on relationships, purpose, and service.”
As he explained in his farewell letter, which he shared with PEOPLE, “Relationships keep us grounded and connected to each other. Service, from formal volunteering to informal small acts of kindness, is about helping each other. And purpose gives our lives a sense of direction and what means. Together, these elements form a triad of fulfillment.”
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education