Health warnings on cigarette packages started in 1969 after the release of a report from the U.S. surgeon general about risks related to smoking. Now, the surgeon general’s office has found something as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes per day: loneliness.
The recently released 82-page report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” takes a troubling but hopeful look at who’s lonely and why it matters. The report offers recommendations that individuals can try right away to feel more connected, such as disconnecting from excessive social media use and spending less time in front of screens and more time in front of people. The report pulled information from many studies.
