Murthy Issues Advisory on Loneliness and Stresses Importance of Social Connection and Community,
According to United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, loneliness in the United States is at epidemic levels, affecting up to half the population at any given time as reported by The UCLA Newsroom. In response to this crisis, Dr. Murthy issued an advisory on May 2 about the importance of social connection and community as a way to combat loneliness and its negative effects.
The issue of loneliness was also discussed during UCLA Health’s annual mental health summit, WOW 2023, at UCLA Royce Hall on May 4, where Dr. Murthy and Oprah Winfrey engaged in a conversation about mental health, loneliness, and the meaning of life. The three-hour program featured other notable guests, including author and Harvard Business School professor Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D., and Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, as well as three UCLA students who shared their personal experiences with mental health challenges. The event was hosted by actress Lisa Kudrow.
The program was also a fundraiser for the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Philanthropists Andrea and Peter Roth were honored for their recent $1 million donation to support autism research and intervention. Additionally, a grant for early-career faculty at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital will be named in honor of Winfrey.
Dr. Murthy said, “Loneliness is as detrimental to human health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day because human beings evolved as hunter-gatherers who lived in tribes. We’re hardwired for connection with each other and feel safest when we’re together.”
