metalrover Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking: surgeon general half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Murthy said in a new, 81-page report from his office. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) More WASHINGTON (AP) — Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office. “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.” The declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness but won't unlock federal funding or programming devoted to combatting the issue. Research shows that Americans, who have become less engaged with worship houses, community organizations and even their own family members in recent decades, have steadily reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. The number of single households has also doubled over the last 60 years. But the crisis deeply worsened when COVID-19 spread, prompting schools and workplaces to shut their doors and sending millions of Americans to isolate at home away from relatives or friends. People culled their friend groups during the coronavirus pandemic and reduced time spent with those friends, the surgeon general's report finds. Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes daily nearly two decades earlier. The loneliness epidemic is hitting young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard. The age group reported a 70% drop in time spent with friends during the same period. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, with the report revealing that those with poor social relationships also had a greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Isolation also elevates a person's likelihood for experiencing depression, anxiety and dementia, according to the research. Murthy did not provide any data that illustrates how many people die directly from loneliness or isolation. The surgeon general is calling on workplaces, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents and other people to make changes that will boost the country's connectedness. He advises people to join community groups and put down their phones when they're catching up with friends; employers to think carefully about their remote work policies; and health systems to provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness. Technology has rapidly exacerbated the loneliness problem, with one study cited in the report finding that people who used social media for two hours or more daily were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated than those who were on such apps for less than 30 minutes a day. Murthy said social media is driving the increase in loneliness in particular. His report suggests that technology companies roll out protections for children especially around their social media behavior. Story continues The declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness but won't unlock federal funding or programming devoted to combatting the issue. Research shows that Americans, who have become less engaged with worship houses, community organizations and even their own family members in recent decades, have steadily reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. The number of single households has also doubled over the last 60 years. But the crisis deeply worsened when COVID-19 spread, prompting schools and workplaces to shut their doors and sending millions of Americans to isolate at home away from relatives or friends. People culled their friend groups during the coronavirus pandemic and reduced time spent with those friends, the surgeon general's report finds. Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes daily nearly two decades earlier. The loneliness epidemic is hitting young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard. The age group reported a 70% drop in time spent with friends during the same period. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, with the report revealing that those with poor social relationships also had a greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Isolation also elevates a person's likelihood for experiencing depression, anxiety and dementia, according to the research. Murthy did not provide any data that illustrates how many people die directly from loneliness or isolation. The surgeon general is calling on workplaces, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents and other people to make changes that will boost the country's connectedness. He advises people to join community groups and put down their phones when they're catching up with friends; employers to think carefully about their remote work policies; and health systems to provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness. Technology has rapidly exacerbated the loneliness problem, with one study cited in the report finding that people who used social media for two hours or more daily were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated than those who were on such apps for less than 30 minutes a day. Murthy said social media is driving the increase in loneliness in particular. His report suggests that technology companies roll out protections for children especially around their social media behavior. “There's really no substitute for in-person interaction,” Murthy said. “As we shifted to use technology more and more for our communication, we lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken them?” ___ This story has been updated to show that the surgeon general said loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, not 12. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_King Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 got computer, social media, howe to be lonely 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classyNfabulous Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 mugen bbfas not dat siao ba 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaur4man Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 haiz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homelander Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 I jialat liao 😔 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_King Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 8 minutes ago, Homelander said: I jialat liao 😔 Mean many bbfa and ssfa will kena 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaur4man Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 58 minutes ago, The_King said: Mean many bbfa and ssfa will kena some ssfa cope by emoing over ATB instead whhhh 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classyNfabulous Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, Homelander said: I jialat liao 😔 huai reh? 🤔 chiu sio hoon ki until like chimney? Edited May 6, 2023 by classyNfabulous 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homelander Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 2 hours ago, classyNfabulous said: huai reh? 🤔 chiu sio hoon ki until like chimney? Never smoke but the article is on loneliness 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classyNfabulous Posted May 7, 2023 Share Posted May 7, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, Homelander said: Never smoke but the article is on loneliness tis rahhhh as stated by article. chiu huan lo cos spend alot of time on sm etc ijit “There's really no substitute for in-person interaction,”Murthy said. “As we shifted to use technology more andmore for our communication, we lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction.” Edited May 7, 2023 by classyNfabulous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannotTahanLiao Posted May 7, 2023 Share Posted May 7, 2023 heng moi gotch ATBs to keep moi company 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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