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How Can We Bring an End to the ‘Epidemic of Loneliness’?
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy is the surgeon general of the United States. As “the nation’s doctor,” it is his job to protect and improve the health and safety of the American people.
In his recent Opinion essay “We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That,” Dr. Murthy writes about how social isolation and loneliness are critical health issues facing Americans. To address these issues, he is proposing a national framework to rebuild social connection and community in America.
Does it surprise you that the country’s top doctor sees loneliness as a health issue? Do you see it as an urgent problem that needs to be addressed?
Dr. Murthy writes:
A patient of mine once shared with me a most unusual story. He had worked for years in the food industry with a modest salary and humble lifestyle. Then he won the lottery. Overnight, his life changed. He quit his job and moved into a large house in a gated community.
Yet as he sat across from me, he sadly declared, “Winning the lottery was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.” Wealthy but alone, this once vivacious, social man no longer knew his neighbors and had lost touch with his former co-workers. He soon developed high blood pressure and diabetes.
I thought about his story in 2017 when I found myself struggling with loneliness. My first stint as surgeon general had just ended. I was suddenly disconnected from the colleagues with whom I had spent most of my waking hours. It might not have been so bad had I not made a critical mistake: I had largely neglected my friendships during my tenure, convincing myself that I had to focus on work and I couldn’t do both.
Even when I was physically with the people I loved, I wasn’t present — I was often checking the news and responding to messages in my inbox. After my job ended, I felt ashamed to reach out to friends I had ignored. I found myself increasingly lonely and isolated, and it felt as if I was the only one who felt that way. Loneliness — like depression, with which it can be associated — can chip away at your self-esteem and erode your sense of who you are. That’s what happened to me.
At any moment, about one out of every two Americans is experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. This includes introverts and extroverts, rich and poor, and younger and older Americans. Sometimes loneliness is set off by the loss of a loved one or a job, a move to a new city, or health or financial difficulties — or a once-in-a-century pandemic.
Other times, it’s hard to know how it arose but it’s simply there. One thing is clear: Nearly everyone experiences it at some point. But its invisibility is part of what makes it so insidious. We need to acknowledge the loneliness and isolation that millions are experiencing and the grave consequences for our mental health, physical health and collective well-being.
Dr. Murthy’s proposed framework includes the following recommendations:
First, we must strengthen social infrastructure — the programs, policies, and structures that aid the development of healthy relationships.
Second, we have to renegotiate our relationship with technology, creating space in our lives without our devices so we can be more present with one another.
Finally, we have to take steps in our personal lives to rebuild our connection to one another — and small steps can make a big difference.
Students, read the entire essay and then tell us:
In his essay, Dr. Murthy describes his own struggle with loneliness. Have you ever struggled with loneliness? If so, when did you realize you were lonely? What do you think might have contributed to or caused it?
Do you agree with Dr. Murthy’s assertion that people tend to not talk about these issues? Do you ever find it difficult to talk about feeling lonely or disconnected?
Did any information in the essay surprise you? What idea or statistic stands out the most? For example, before reading the essay, were you aware of the health risks associated with social isolation? Would you have guessed that about one in two people are feeling lonely at any given time?
What do you think about Dr. Murthy’s suggestions for alleviating loneliness? Which, if any, do you think have the potential to be the most effective for the country as a whole? Which might help you?
If you were asked for your recommendations for how to help with this problem, what would you suggest? What helps you through moments when you feel disconnected from other people?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
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Should Teachers Provide Trigger Warnings for ‘Traumatic Content’?
Last month, a Cornell University sophomore, Claire Ting, was studying with friends when one of them became visibly upset and was unable to continue her work.
For a Korean American literature class, the woman was reading “The Surrendered,” a novel by Chang-rae Lee about a Korean girl orphaned by the Korean War that includes a graphic rape scene. Ms. Ting’s friend had recently testified at a campus hearing against a student who she said sexually assaulted her, the woman said in an interview. Reading the passage so soon afterward left her feeling unmoored.
Ms. Ting, a member of Cornell’s undergraduate student assembly, believed her friend deserved a heads-up about the upsetting material. That day, she drafted a resolution urging instructors to provide warnings on the syllabus about “traumatic content” that might be discussed in class, including sexual assault, self-harm and transphobic violence.
The resolution was unanimously approved by the assembly late last month. Less than a week after it was submitted to the administration for approval, Martha E. Pollack, the university president, vetoed it.
“We cannot accept this resolution as the actions it recommends would infringe on our core commitment to academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, and are at odds with the goals of a Cornell education,” Ms. Pollack wrote in a letter with the university provost, Michael I. Kotlikoff.
To some, the conflict illustrates a stark divide in how different generations define free speech and how much value they place on its absolute protection, especially at a time of increased sensitivity toward mental health concerns.
Do trigger warnings have a place in schools? Should teachers and professors alert students to “traumatic content,” such as sexual assault, domestic violence, self-harm, suicide, child abuse, and racial hate crime? Why, or why not?
Have any of your teachers provided trigger warnings in advance of presenting sensitive material to you in class? If so, do you think it was beneficial or detrimental to students’ learning? If not, do you wish you had received such a warning?
Connor Strobel, a professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago, says, “When used correctly, trigger warnings can open up a conversation.” Have you found that to be true in your own experience? Are trigger warnings helpful in protecting the mental health and well-being of students? Which arguments in favor of trigger warnings discussed in the article do you find most persuasive?
However, Amna Khalid, a professor of history at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., counters: “Life happens to you while you are driving, while you are walking, while you are in the supermarket. The most challenging moments in life rarely come with warning.” Do you agree? Do trigger warnings “infantilize” students and stifle free inquiry? Which arguments against trigger warnings did you find most convincing?
What is your reaction to the dispute at Cornell over a resolution to require faculty to alert students to upsetting educational materials? Do you agree with the administration’s decision to veto the proposal?
What do you think about the use of trigger or content warnings outside of school settings — such as for films or television shows like the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why”? When, if ever, do you think such warnings are appropriate?
