And I think the work that we do at Citizen University is so much about just inviting people into reconnecting with one another, into creating human bonds in a way that our culture, our media, our social media do not really incentivize anymore. But the reality - I mean, the phrase that came - that stuck out for me in the surgeon general's report was that we are sick, angry and alone when we get this disconnected from one another. LIU: Well, I think everybody wants to connect. But I don't know if everyone followed that. I think everyone assumed that everyone was just dying to get out. But when people started coming back out into the world, I don't know if everyone followed. MARTÍNEZ: You know what? I think sometimes, too, the pandemic shoved a lot of people into loneliness, Eric. And the ways in which that's unfolded in the United States leaves people more isolated, more zero sum in their thinking and more feeling like, you know what, I'm not sure I am with you or you're with me. But I think much more deeply than that, and this is a problem that's been unfolding over decades, is the grinding inequality, the tectonic crushing of people's sense of solidarity and connection to one another. And even though we want to pretend it's normal, I think there are deep persisting effects of that kind of forced traumatic isolation. One, of course, is just we've come out of this pandemic.

LIU: Well, I think there's a lot of forces. MARTÍNEZ: What do you think is causing such widespread loneliness? And that has effects not only on the body, but on the ways in which we see each other in community and feel connected to one another. LIU: When you are alone and disconnected, there's more stress. I mean, you think about the ways in which - I mean, a broken heart is a physical diagnosis, and it's a social diagnosis. But dementia, stroke, cardiovascular disease? That part surprised me, Eric, because, like, depression, OK, fine. I think everything that the surgeon general said about the effects on the body of loneliness are true, as well of the effects on the body politic. MARTÍNEZ: For some possible solutions to this, we're turning to Eric Liu, co-founder of Citizen University, a nonprofit that aims to build community and civic awareness across America.Įric, how surprised were you by what the surgeon general said?ĮRIC LIU: Well, A, thanks for having me. It increases our risk of depression, anxiety and suicide, but it also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, of dementia, stroke and premature death. VIVEK MURTHY: I'm worried about this from a public health perspective because it turns out that being socially disconnected has real consequences for our health. He spoke on Tuesday to NPR's All Things Considered. He claims there's an epidemic of loneliness and isolation and that it's bad for your health. That's according to a new report from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. About half of all adults in the U.S have experienced loneliness.

The death of vivek