How a growing crisis of loneliness is affecting Americans’ health

Ali Rogin:

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sounded the alarm on the effect chronic loneliness can have on people’s health. A report released from his office last spring revealed that social isolation can be as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Now some local leaders are heeding the warning. In California, San Mateo County, which includes part of Silicon Valley, became the first in the nation to declare loneliness a public health emergency.

Edward Garcia heads the Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness, a nonprofit organization that partners with healthcare experts and policymakers.

Edward, thank you so much for being here. Why are we as a country so lonely?

Edward Garcia, Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness: Right know, I think there are many cultural drivers that look at why we’re so lonely. But I want to take it a little step back and say that loneliness and isolation are not new occurrences. Unfortunately, the most marginalized in our society have always been at higher risk of social isolation and loneliness, and these are communities of lower socioeconomic status, minority groups like BIPOC communities and LGBTQ youth and many others.

I think what’s coming to light now is that so many of us are now starting to feel the effects of social isolation and loneliness, especially coming out of the pandemic. Some drivers of this have really looked at hyper individualism. So how we are looking at our differences rather than what bonds us together, really hypered, tailored media consumption online platforms like social media, they’re creating these alternative universes. And when we step out of those, it can feel like we don’t belong in the real world community.