Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community

by U.S. Surgeon General's Office

A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls the
American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides
recommendations for how it should be addressed. Advisories are
reserved for significant public health challenges that require the nation’s
immediate awareness and action.
This advisory calls attention to the importance of social connection for
individual health as well as on community-wide metrics of health and
well-being, and conversely the significant consequences when social
connection is lacking. While social connection is often considered
an individual challenge, this advisory explores and explains the
cultural, community, and societal dynamics that drive connection and
disconnection. It also offers recommendations for increasing and
strengthening social connection through a whole-of-society approach.
The advisory presents a framework for a national strategy with specific
recommendations for the institutions that shape our day-to-day
governments, health care systems and insurers, public health
departments, research institutions, philanthropy, schools, workplaces,
community-based organizations, technology companies, and the media.

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2023

Reviews

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class. This advisory adequately describes the main issues that arise within social epidemiology: determining how to measure the unmeasurable and how to effectively communicate nuanced public health findings to the public. The confirmation of the dose-response relationship between social connection and premature mortality was easily the biggest takeaway of this paper. However, rather than reiterating this point repeatedly, I would have appreciated a deeper dive into the literature–specifically, a more thorough exploration of the biological pathways linked to social isolation.

The most important metrics for health are often the ones that are most difficult to operationalize. They also tend to be ignored, even in progressive frameworks, such as the Social Determinants of Health model that is so frequently used in my field. It makes you wonder why the strongest predictors for health and mortality (social connection, belonging, and community) are largely ignored in public health models & policy… Even in the SG’s recommendations, the solutions felt like they lacked the level of specificity that you’d expect for such a pervasive and concerning issue.

[Evan Beacom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful summary and I hope its recommendations are taken seriously by the "stakeholders" mentioned, from local governments to tech companies to social clubs. While staying close to the evidence base, this advisory did not shy away from taking a position on some questions of value. It was ultimately, but not exclusively, a work of utility - improving social connection *so that* we can improve public health and a robust economy.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really sure how to rate a paper such as this. The information and ideas are all good. So much of this is common sense; I think this paper is just bringing to light how invasive loneliness has become, despite technology or perhaps because of technology and what the triggers are. Also how the lack of social connectivity can impact our health in the long run.

The report builds awareness and outlines what various bodies can do (various levels of government, health workers, health care systems, insurers, public health professionals, public health departments, researchers, research institutions, schools and education, etc)

‘What can Individuals do? Minimize distraction during conversation to increase the quality of the time you spend with others. For instance, don’t check your phone during meals with friends, important conversations, and family time.’ This to me is one of the most important recommendations in the report. I have been at dinner with three other people and I sit there while they are on their phones. How do I feel? Like why did I come for dinner? And then I have been with other people for an evening and a phone is not looked at once. Those are the people I want to spend time with. However I really feel for kids these days, because I also see parents checking their phones constantly while kids are ignored - this to me may well be the root of loneliness today.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting that the statistics used in this report end with the year 2020. 2020 only accelerated what was already happening, but it would be interesting to see what kind of bounce back the statistics may have made since the pandemic ended.

[Alessandra D'Alosio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know you could cite papers. Anyway, this was good, really intuitive but nice to see all the thoughts I was already having confirmed. I think I’m gonna write an essay on this topic

[Joseph Busch]

this is the text that is the source of all the "male loneliness epidemic" articles come from