What is Causing Our Epidemic of Loneliness and How Can We Fix It? | Harvard Graduate School of Education

Researchers share what Americans have to say about social disconnection and potential solutions

U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy placed a spotlight on America’s problem with loneliness when he declared the issue an epidemic in the spring of 2023. Murthy explained, in a letter that introduced an urgent advisory, that loneliness is far more than “just a bad feeling” and represents a major public health risk for both individuals and society. Murthy also pointed out that, although many people grew lonelier during the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of American adults had already reported experiences of loneliness even before the outbreak. Over the past four years, researchers with Harvard…

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• Helen Wang

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