The Surgeon General Finally Joins the Human Connection Revolution

There’s no proper blog this week.

Last week I took a lovely vacation with my wife’s family to Cape Cod, and this week I’m flying cross country to keynote a conference.

Instead, I’d like to draw your attention to something I’ll be talking a lot about in the coming weeks and months:

In a new press release, The Surgeon General has raised the alarm about loneliness and isolation in America.

Here are the top level points:

• There was a devastating impact of loneliness and isolation in the United States even before the pandemic.
• Lack of social connection increases the risk of mental health challenges and premature death, comparable to smoking daily.
• A new framework for a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection is presented, addressing social infrastructure, public policies, healthcare intervention, and digital reform.

That’s right, the Surgeon General is proposing a framework for advancing social connection based on 6 pillars:

1. Strengthen Social Infrastructure
2. Enact Pro-Connection Public Policies
3. Mobilize the Health Sector
4. Reform Digital Environments
5. Deepen Our Knowledge
6. Cultivate a Culture of Connection

Now, if this sounds like exactly the thing I’ve been talking about in my keynotes and on my blog since my TEDx talk went viral in 2015, you’re definitely right.

I am THRILLED to see someone in a position of power in Washington taking the problem of loneliness and isolation seriously.

As I’ve said so many times, the human connection revolution is upon us. And it’s not enough to join it. We must LEAD it.

Read the full press release here:

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html

I want to hear from you:

What programs would you like to see enacted at the societal level, or within your own organization, to combat the devastating effects of loneliness and isolation?